Broken Hearts, Golden beginnings, and Silver Tears
by Colored Sabotage
Summary: After a brutal break-up between herself and Nat, Rosalina also finds herself walking away from the band...and into an entirely different one. She left the boys with nothing: Not even an explanation. But a tour that brings together two bands, a new bassist, and a whirlwind of drama can also bring answers. Perhaps there was a real reason why Rosalina left. Perhaps they'll find out.
1. New Beginnings

**Rosalina POV**

I stood outside, looking at the sky. I shivered as tears poured down my cheeks. It had been exactly one month, one week, and three days since I had seen the band. Since I had seen Nat. My tears fell harder, as I remembered my last talk with Nat.

"_Well then just explain it to me Rosie!"_

"_I TOLD you already, Nat! I can't! You won't understand! I'm trying to help,"_

"_HELP?" Nat roared out of exasperation. "You're not HELPING anything! You won't even explain,"_

"_I TOLD YOU THAT I COULDN'T!" My cheeks were wet with tears; my own boyfriend didn't even understand that I was trying to help him, to save him and our friends._

"_Rosalina you do this every time! You either quit the band and break up with me, or you shut everyone out of your life! You never explain anything to anyone, and you always, ALWAYS have some hidden reason for not telling the whole truth! I'm so sick of it! You act so spoiled! I hate you!" Nat screamed the last words, as tears streamed down her cheeks._

"_You don't understand! You won't let me explain! I hate you too!" Rosalina ran out crying, leaving a fuming Nat behind._

Taking a deep breath, I dried my tears and tried to steady my breathing. I promised myself I wouldn't think about them, about him, about _that day_, but it never worked. Each day was harder, the memories just piled up and threatened to spill over the wall I built up, in order to ignore the hurt. I thought I was doing the right thing.

The bus came to a halt in front of me. It was time to stop running. The two pieces of paper felt scratchy in my hand: One was a pink flyer advertising a school in Tennessee for aspiring musicians. As I looked around my surroundings, I could tell I could make myself at home here. But before I could actually start my new life, I had to fix it. I had to fix what I had broken so long ago.

I stepped onto the bus and settled into my seat. After several bus transfers and long lengthy train rides, I finally caught glimpse of those familiar streets and buildings.

I finally came to a stop at a too-familiar studio. Taking a deep breath, I willed my tears to dry up. I wasn't going to sob into Nat's shoulder or beg at the band's feet. I took a deep breath, knowing that the hardest part was going to come as soon as I knocked on the door.

Part of me wished that he wouldn't forgive me, because it would make this so much easier. But so much more of me wanted him to hold me, hug, kiss me like he used to. Stop. Stop, stop, stop, I commanded myself.

Nat probably has a better girlfriend now… The thought released even more tears. The thought of Nat kissing another girl hurt like hell, and thinking of some other pretty girl as his girlfriend made things even worse. Shut up Rosie, I scolded myself. It's just Nat. All I had to do was explain what I where I was going, to apologize, to gain closure. It's not like I was facing the whole band.

Finally gathering the courage, I knocked on the door. I could hear movement, and for a few seconds I couldn't breathe. The door swung back and it was all I could do to make myself exhale. My breath came out shaky and I knew the tears were going to come.

They were all here. Every single one of the band was here. The surprise that was on everyone's lips died instantly – Nat was simply staring, his mouth agape and his eyes disbelieving. I looked up to see the balloons and the excited "Congratulations" banner.

They must have found a new bass player. It hadn't even been two months and I had already been replaced. It was probably their welcoming ceremony. Every pent-up emotion was fighting to get out, to tear apart everything, and the burning in my chest confirmed my fears.

I was never, ever going to "get over it," as Patrice would say. With another gulp over air, I simply let the other paper – crinkled, messy, and tear-stained – fall to the floor. There was no way for me to break this silent barrier, so the draft of my speech would have to do. I watched it flutter to the ground, my words and the carpet already blurring into a hazy mess. My only hope could be that the band would read it, that; at least _Nat_ would read it.

Walking out, I didn't look back. I heard nothing but silence.

I lost everything, and I knew it.


	2. Unspoken Words

Nat was in shock. It was like a blast from the past, seeing his ex-girlfriend appear on his doorstep. Looking around at the others, he could tell that they were thinking the same thing.

"N-Nat?" Alex came over to him. "W-was that Rosa-"

"Yeah, Alex. It was."

"What was she thinking of doing?? Was she gonna ask to be in the band again??" Thomas looked ready to blow up. Everyone else was thinking the same thing. Rosalina had lost her second chances. They certainly weren't going to welcome her with open arms.

"Guys, calm down." Nat closed the door again. "Remember _why _we're all here?"

"Oh yeah." Cooper looked through the window he was near. "Guys, Juanita should be here any second. Remember her party we're throwing her?" Juanita had won a state skateboarding contest, and they were throwing a surprise party for her. Whether she liked it or not. Quietly sliding back into their positions, they waited for Juanita to come by.

When the door opened again, the look on her face was priceless. Alex hugged her, and they all screamed 'Congratulations' at her. The party went on and on, with pizza and cake and soda. When the band started to clean up the confetti, David noticed a pice of paper on the floor. Picking it up, and reading it, he called everyone over, except for Juanita and Alex, who both had gone to the skate park; obviously Alex was dying to learn some tricks.

"Guys, look at this." David's voice was filled with disbelief, as he reread the paper. Nat took the paper from him, reading it out loud.

_Nat, I needed to tell you this, so if you let me explain, I'd really appreciate it. Even though you've probably already gotten over me, and filled the empty spot in the band, I needed to fix things. I'm not coming back to ask for to be the bassist again, but I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. Tell the guys I'm sorry too, and I really hope that you do well. I'd wish you fame, but I guess you already have that. I'm so sorry for everything. Goodbye. _He was truly shocked now. Rosalina must've thought she fixed things, but as far as he was concerned she only made it worse. Cooper put his hand on Nat's shoulder, his emotions not quite registering what Rosalina's intentions were in the letter. Thomas and David were speechless, and Nat was just staring at the paper. It explained almost nothing, and the letter only made the pain that he'd been feeling for so long worsen. Everyone looked put out, whether it was because Rosalina decided to make contact, or whether they hadn't been able to yell at her.

~*~

Rosalina tried not to cry. The tears welled up anyways. As they fell, she tried to make sense of what she just did. She couldn't really. Not looking where she was going, she ran into someone.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" She helped the girl up, and gasped, almost dropping her.

"Rosalina?" Jesse's familiar voice echoed in Rosalina's ears.

"Jesse?" Rosalina breathed faintly. "I-I"m sorry."

"For running into me, or for leaving the band?"

"Both. I-I got to go." Rosalina couldn't take many more familiar faces. She walked away, leaving a stunned Jesse rooted to the spot.

As Jesse watched the girl walk away, she turned. She was going to to Nat's house. The band, especially Alex, would probably kill her for being late to Juanita's surprise party, but oh well. Picking up the card she had gotten, Jesse now ran to Nat's house.

"GUYS!" She pushed open the door and barged in. Normal manners obviously didn't count at times like this.

"Oops. Sorry." Jesse came into the house with confetti everywhere, and the band huddled together minus their drummer. Nat looked up at her, the same hurt look he wore lately. Only a hundred times worse.

"Jesse, she just looked at us. dropped the paper, and walked out. She didn't even say anything!" They didn't even have to say who. Jesse knew.

"Alex will kill you ya know." Thomas, trying to cheer everyone up, told Jesse the obvious in a relaxed manner. Nat looked void of life, so Jesse went to hug him. He didn't move at all, just stood there, as Jesse delivered her embrace.

"You looked like you had news Jesse." Cooper looked at her, trying to get off the Rosalina subject.

"Um." The boys looked at her now, waiting. "I saw Rosalina walking. I didn't think you knew, so I came to tell you."

"I've got to find her. She apologized f-for what she said. I should go do the same." A chorus of 'NO!'s came up at Nat's statement, but he left anyways. He knew he had to do something. He just didn't know what. Sighing, silent tears fell, the ones that have been waiting to come for over a month.

**Okay, so what do you think??Hmm? Ideas? Why I'd love them! Constructive criticism is cool too. No flames though please! nbbrules101, and gopride10, thanks for reviewing!**


	3. Charismatic Bassists

Nat ran down the steps out into the road.

"Watch where you're going kid!" A truck driver yelled out his window, and Nat stepped back on the sidewalk. Running down the sidewalk, he passed the apartments and the stores he finally reached the bus stop. The sign on the bus read 'To Tennessee.' He pushed past a bunch of people so he could see the windows. As the door closed and the bus pulled away, he could see a face turning away. It was a girl, with brown hair, and brown eyes.

Rosalina turned away from the window. She saw Nat, briefly, trying to push through the crowd. The bus started to move, and through an open window she could hear someone yell her name. Wiping away tears she leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long ride.

**One week later**

"Guys, guys, settle down. Come on. We need to focus." Cooper directed a few strangers into the studio as he tried to quiet down the band. Nat walked in, looking down. He pulled Cooper over to the corner.

"Come on Coop. You know none of them will be as good as Rosalina. She could play like what? Nine instruments?"

"But she only played the bass guitar in the band Nat. We can surely find a replacement for that! Come on, these will be the last auditions."

"Really?"

"For today." Cooper fiddled with his tie and Nat sighed. They walked over to the five people, three girls, two boys.

"Hey-Aren't you Rosalina's friend?" Alex examined one of the girls.

"Used to be. Until she became like mega depressed and like, never talked. But let's not talk about her. I'm going to play the part she plays in um...uh..."

"I don't wanna go to school." Thomas prompted her, looking over Cooper's shoulder at his clipboard.

"Yeah, that song." She moved her blond hair out of her face.

"Next!" David yelled from his spot on the couch. Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"I never even played!"

"You were the girl that got Rosalina to think we were immature, and that she should start to hang out with high schoolers."

"Well, if I'm not wanted at all by everyone, then I'll leave." She dropped the bass and slammed the door behind her.

After the four other auditions, the band gathered together to come to a conclusion.

"Well I don't like any of them." Thomas declared.

"At least that Christa girl had potential. The others played like crap." Everyone agreed with Cooper.

"I say Christa."

"Christa."

"I agree. I guess."

"Nat, what about you?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, the Christa girl is alright. At least she knows _something _about the instrument." Nat went back to thinking. 'I'd rather have Rosalina back in the band though.' He admitted to himself silently.

"Okay. I'll contact Christa, and I think Nat has a new song. If we work hard, Christa will be able to learn a good amount of songs. Maybe we can perform sooner than I thought we'd be able to." Cooper became much more excited as he spoke. A chorus of 'Great' rose up. Though it seemed that everyone was trying to shake Rosalina from their mind, because they didn't want to admit they were all still missing her.


	4. Unsuspected News

"Take a deep breath girl, you'll do fine!" A sandy blonde talked to her friend behind the curtain, as the other band members tuned their instruments. The other girl took a breath.

"I know I'll be fine, I mean, we're only opening right?"

"Yeah girl, you'll do great. You sing awesomely."

"Is that even a word?"

"Does it have to be?"

"Nope." The singer smiled, the blonde mirroring her.

"Let's rock."

"Wait, who are we opening for?"

"Dunno. Forgot to ask." Both girls giggled, and headed to find their other friends and band members.

*

"Dude I can't my sticks!"

"Alex they're right here."

"Oh, thanks dude."

"Hey Christa, ready for your first concert?" Thomas leaned against an amplifier.

"Yeah, totally!"

"Okay guys, the opener is going on now."

"Who are they?"

"Umm...I'm not sure."

"It was a last minute thing okay?" Cooper admitted when everyone stared at him.

"Hey guys, come on, they're gonna play!" Christa was at the curtain, watching the two singers and the other band members. "Hey, isn't that-"

"Christa we can't touch the curtain." Nat pulled her away gently.

"Okay but-"

"Nat's right Christa. The stage people will complain or something. No touching the curtain." She gave up. 'I mean, so what if the girl had the same color hair as-Well never mind. I have to focus.' She thought as she tuned her instrument.

"_And let's give a big thank you to the girls for coming up here. And they want me to introduce their new guitar bassist, and singer-"_

"Oh my god!" David yelped. "Guys, come over here!" 'Oh, so _he _gets to touch the curtain, but I don't.' Christa scoffed. As they circled David, he pointed out to the stage, trying to whisper.

"Isn't that-"

"_Rosalina! Now let's give a round of applause for another opening act-" _The announcer went off stage, heading toward their direction, followed by the band. They could see a girl with wavy brown hair, streaks dyed neon pink, talking to another one of the girls. She looked nervous, but when the sandy blonde patted her back, she half smiled.

"Th-That's Rosalina's half smile." Nat stood there, shocked.

"So what did she do? Ditch the band for another one?" Thomas scoffed, but he too, was shocked that their ex-bassist had found another band.

"Girl you did great! I told you you'd fit in. So what if your old band kicked you out? We got you now!"

"I-They didn't kick me out. I quit." The brown haired girl stammered.

"And you found us Rosalina. It was fate." The bands were close enough to hear each other's conversations, but that didn't stop the girls.

"Thanks Cati. That means a lot." The boys and Christa watched Rosalina's every move, trying to figure out what was different. They found a lot. She was wearing a tube top, and glittery lip gloss. She had streaks of her hair dyed, and was wearing flats with a mini skirt. A short mini skirt.

"R-Rosalina?" She jumped, hearing her name. She was about to answer, but decided the best of it. turning away, she put her instrument away and picked it up, ready to leave.

"You guys should get aquatinted with each other." The stage announcer was looking over notes as he walked into the room. "After all, you are going on tour together."

"WHAT?!" Rosalina spun around, her voice the only one that screeched semi-loudly. "Cati, you never said that we'd have to go on a tou-"

"I didn't know Rose, I guess I wasn't paying attention. But you can't bail. We'll get you perfectly prepared for the tour." Cati smiled brightly. Alex and Thomas snickered at Rosalina being called Rose. It just wasn't her.

"That's not what I'm talking about Cati." Rosalina hissed quietly. She sighed as the sandy blonde figured it out.

"Oh! You mean-I mean they-And you-" She pointed at Nat and the others, and at Rosalina.

"Yes Cati. They're my old band." As Rosalina turned to the door again, she opened it.

"Don't you want to get to know each-"

"I think I know everyone well enough Jake. Did you not just hear us? Old band. New band. The only one I don't know is her." Rosalina pointed toward Christa. "And how long is this tour?"

"Uh, one or two months."

"I'm sure that will be a good amount of time to _get to know each other."_ Rosalina slammed the door shut as both of "her bands" stared after her. The act on stage ended, and it was the boys' turn. They picked up their instruments, walked out, and though they played like they always did, their minds were somewhere else.

**Okay, I know its been a while since I updated, but I've been very busy, and also working on other stories. But here it is, two chapters in a row. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing, it means a lot!**


	5. Harmless Fun

"Come on Rose,"

"No." Rosalina answered stubbornly.

"Please?" Cati and Lianna looked at her imploringly.

"Besides, where's the harm? Its just a little night of fun!"

"Yeah, and you _never _have fun! Not since you found out about the tour." Lianna added.

"Well sorry if I'm not cheering about the fact I get to spend one or two months on tour with my ex-band!"

"Come on Rose! Plus, I think Jared will be there." Cati wiggled her eyes suggestively. Sighing loudly, Rosalina turned on the two girls.

"Fine." She raised her voice over their squealing. "But on one condition."

"Anything."

"Stop calling me Rose!" Lianna and Cati laughed.

"Sure, whatever. Trust us girl, you're gonna have the time of your life!"

"Right. I'll meet you at-"

"My house, 8:00 sharp."

"Kay," The two girls left Rosalina to figure out what she was going to wear.

~*~

As the three girls pulled into the driveway, they met the two other members of their band.

"Hey Maya, Lisa." Rosalina greeted.

"Hey! Didn't think you were comin." Lisa smiled. "Its good that you're here though."

"I'm not so sure about that," Rosalina muttered under her breath.

"Sure it is girl!" Maya conceded. "Just some harmless fun, right?" The door opened, and a guy came outside.

"You comin inside or what Lisa! They got some of the good stuff!" Lisa, ignoring the protest of Maya, ran inside.

"That girl's gonna get wasted tonight Cati." The other three nodded silently.

"Well come on Rosalina, you don't have to smoke, or drink for that matter, but we don't know how long the party'll last. Come on!" Cati pulled her inside. The music became considerably louder, and Rosalina looked for a familiar face.

"Hey baby," She felt an arm wrap around her waist and was about to scream until she saw it was Jared.

"Scared much?" She could feel his warm breath on her neck. Disentangling herself, she answered blushing slightly.

"No, I wasn't."

"Did Cati drag you here? I don't remember you saying you were into this stuff, actually the opposite." He smiled cockily.

"Oh shut up! And yes, I did get dragged here." She picked her way across the room, delivering hugs and smiles when necessary. She reached the wall, leaning against it. Jared leaned against the wall next to her. They chatted for a while, and every time Cati or Lianna looked over, Rosalina was smiling and laughing.

"Its good for her, you know." Maya danced up to Cati and Lianna.

"Yeah, I thought we'd never get her here though," Lianna added.

"Well she's here, and she's having a bit of harmless fun." Cati nodded toward Jared. "At least, I'm pretty sure its harmless." Maya raised her eyebrows, looking at Jared also.

"She'll be fine guys! Have some of your own fun!" Lisa sidled up to the three girls, hiccuping.

"And how much have you drank Lisa?" Cati eyed the glass in her hand.

"Not much." She hiccuped again. "But you should have some fun! Rosalina will be fine!" They all nodded in a agreement with Lisa.

"Your eyes, are so pretty."

"They're brown Jared."

"Exactly." He wrapped his arms around her, and this time, Rosalina didn't pull away.

"So what has the band been doing lately?"

"You know, booked a tour with my ex-band. Actually, Cati did that." Jared tensed.

"You mean he's-"

"Yeah, Nat will be there." Rosalina forced a smile. "Jealous much?"

"A bit." Jared admitted.

"Its only for a month or two Jared."

"I know." He laid his head on hers. She smiled, and leaned into him.

"Let's dance." She said abruptly.

"Hm?"

"Dance. Come on Jared. I love this song." Rosalina pulled him toward the dance floor. They swayed back and forth, and danced to the five other songs that followed. The songs became slower and slower, until they were the only ones on the dance floor. As the song ended, Rosalina looked up at Jared. They were dancing really close. Their stance reminded Rosalina of one thing, and it was her last boyfriend. Without a second thought, she titled her head slightly and kissed Jared. Rosalina pulled back, breathless, when she heard someone wolf whistle. Out of breath, she looked at Jared, blushing. No one gave her weird looks, like some might have, in her other 'life.' But to Cati, Lianna, Lisa, Maya, and even Jared, drinks, kisses, and everything else; it was all fun to them. Harmless fun. She kissed him once more, his lips meeting hers. And they were right. Right now, at a party in her new life, a new boyfriend, it was all just a little harmless fun.

**So I'm not sure how well this chapter went, but I think all in all it went pretty well. R&R please!**


	6. Roadside Repercussions

Rosalina took a breath, while loading her luggage on one side of the tour bus. She turned to see Cati and her boyfriend hugging goodbye. Lianna was stepping onto the bus, and Maya and Lisa were getting out of a cab. She looked for Jared, who was checking the gas and oil gauge. It turned out he would be driving them everywhere, from city to city. She muttered curses at the stage director, he was making the bands go on the same tour bus. It wasn't that they wouldn't fit together, it was that it was more seeing time. Time that she didn't want.

One by one each person from her old band arrived. Christa was the last. She looked like she was having trouble getting a bag out of her cab. Taking a breath, Rosalina walked over, and took the bag, forcing a smile at Christa.

"So you're the new bassist?" Rosalina said it with as much enthusiasm as possible, which was surprisingly easy to fake.

"Um. Yeah. And you're Rosalina?" Rosalina nodded, and turned to walk over to the bus.

"Are you coming?"

"Yeah." Christa caught up with Rosalina, and she tried asking her about her new band.

"They're great. It's different though." Rosalina wouldn't say more, so after they stuffed Christa's luggage into a compartment, they went onto the bus; Rosalina to talk to her band, and Christa to talk to hers.

**Christa POV**

"What was she saying?" Thomas and David looked half interested, half disgusted.

"Not much actually. She said her new band was great. And she sounded happy that you guys found a new bassist." They stared disbelievingly.

"What?" I stared back, as Nat wrapped his arm around my waist. We had talked, and we thought we'd try a closer relationship. I was elated when he asked me out. I really wanted them to forget about Rosalina. I tried to make them think she didn't want them anymore, thought I knew that her enthusiasm, was fake. But they don't really need to know that.

**Rosalina POV**

I was chatting with Cati, asking her what her new boyfriend was like.

"Are you happy that Jared is here?" She asked, giggling.

"Yeah, I am. Though he's never heard me play before. So I guess I'm nervous. Kinda." I smiled slightly, but my mouth thinned when I saw Nat and Christa out of the corner of my eye. 'He's not yours anymore. He's not yours.'I repeated that silently. Lianna caught my eye, and raised an eyebrow. I shook my head almost imperceptibly. She nodded slightly, no one catching our little exchange.

Jared wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me from behind. I smiled, and looked up at him.

"Hey"

"Hi," I smiled a bit more.

"I've got to get the bus up and running soon, but I wanted to ask you how psyched you are to have me here." He smiled cockily.

"Well aren't you full of yourself," I said, teasing him. "But yes, I am glad you're here." He kissed my cheek, and went to go to the front of the bus as my band manager got on. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nat tense as he saw Jared walking past. The others looked at me pointedly and I turned to stare back at them.

"Who was that?" Quassim asked, staring straight at me.

"The driver." I turned, but only as Lisa opened her mouth.

"And her boyfriend." Mentally cursing a gave Lisa one of those shut the hell up looks. Acknowledging it, she turned away. They continued to stare at me, all of them except for Christa. She looked at the floor. Feeling slightly bad, I glared at my old band.

"What? Am I not allowed to move on? You all should have by now. You all hate me, so why can't you just let it go, pretend you don't know me, and pay attention to your new bassist? It's not very nice that you still talk about me. And I know that you do, because if you didn't Christa wouldn't be acting like this." I snapped. "And stop staring at me." I took my guitar out and tuned it, the farthest I could from Nat and Christa, and everyone else.

"Well someone isn't in a good mood."

"Kind of cranky actually. Do you think she's PMSing?"

"Well I don't know Thomas, maybe she's just pissed that we're here." They went back and forth, everyone joining in except for my band, Nat, and Christa.

"Shut the fuck up!" Maya and Lianna screamed. Lisa threw an empty cup at them, hitting Thomas on the head. Cati walked cautiously towards me.

"Later. There's no privacy on this bus." She backed away. I continued to play ignoring the mini argument both bands were having.

"We're going to have a fun two months." Cooper and and Trina said at the same time. Trina was my new band manager. Somewhere between all of this, the bus had started to move.

"Trina, where's our first stop?"

"Umm..Memphis. It should only take a few hours, so I would just chill for a bit."

"Kay." I strummed the guitar again.

Nat was walking toward me, out of the corner of my eye I could see him. Christa put out a hand to stop him, but he pushed past and sat down next to me.

"Go away Nat."

"No. Rosalina, I'm not going to. You can't keep doing this. Do you have any clue what you're getting yourself into?"

"What exactly, are you saying Nat? By getting into a new band? I didn't have any clue what I was getting myself into at first when I was your bassist. So what are you trying to say?"

"I can smell alcohol on your breath." He said it so simply, like it was no big deal. But to him, and to the Naked Brother's Band, it was. They all turned to stare at me, like I had changed immensely. Which I had. Kind of.

"That was from a party. You really don't need to know about my life anymore. You don't need to be the shoulder I have to cry on anymore. You have Christa. As a bassist and a girlfriend. Stop trying to talk to me, it's only gonna make this trip worse than it has to be." I pushed him away, and went to the front of the bus to sit next to Jared. I pulled open the partition between us and him, and put it back once I crossed.

"Hey," I half smiled and leaned against him. "Are we almost there?"

"About another half hour or so," He replied. We talked for a while, and I smiled just to make sure he wouldn't notice my feelings.

**Nat POV**

Despite the angry words coming out of the mouths of Rosalina's friends, I told the guys to shut up. Christa looked up at me as I stood up.

"I really thought you'd be joining in." Maya looked at me half with interest, half disgust.

"What?"

"With your band mates. Making fun of Rosalina. She was always under the impression you hated her. At least, she was. Now she's just going to try to get you to hate her." Maya said simply.

"How do you know I don't hate her?"

"Lots of reasons. But the most important is that you tried to talk to her when she was pissed."

"She would always let me talk to her, just, no one else." I looked down, glancing at Christa. She was laughing at something Thomas said.

"Well, I may sound cold, but for Rosalina's own good, stay away from her. She's going to try and live this new life she has with us, not you. She has Jared, not you. So stay away before you hurt her any more than you have already."

"But-I think-" I was stuttering.

"If you respect her, if you like her, and most importantly Nat, if you _love_ her, then you'll do what's best for now, and _stay away from her."_ Maya hissed the last part quietly. She walked away to talk to another one of the girls, I think it was Lianna. I saw Lianna look at me, at Christa, and then at the driver. She frowned, and looked at me again.

"Is everything alright?" Christa wound my arms around her, and I hugged her tightly.

"Yeah, everything's going to be alright." I said. But in my mind, I was trying to figure out, 'Do I love Rosalina?' and 'Does she love me?'

**Alright I know I haven't updated in a while but now I have a home computer that I can write on (I didn't before I used my school laptop) and so, I made a pact to write a chapter a week. Keep in mind that I have other stories too, so I might not update this particular story every week. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	7. Kissable Luck

The Naked Brothers Band and the Star Rockers _(Cati's band)_ were doing last minute touches on tuning. Except for Lisa and Thomas. They were both leaning against a wall, Lisa with a soda in her hand. She was listening intently to Thomas, and laughed at something he said.

**Rosalina POV**

I told my band not to hold a grudge, against anybody on this trip, and it took some time but they reluctantly agreed. Well, everyone was reluctant except for Lisa. I knew since I stepped off the bus, that Thomas and Lisa were going to hook up at some point. I could tell in her eyes, that he was the perfect kind of boy she wanted. The party animal, the one with a sense of adventure, and a hint of naughtiness. I glanced up, and saw the two of them leaning against the wall. I saw Thomas flash that smile, the one I was so used to him flashing, at every girl that claimed him. Lisa laughed, and her eyes sparkled. Something was gonna go down, I knew it.

"Rosalina, come help sat up the mics with me." I was done tuning, so I went onto the stage with Cati. We laughed and chatted, and joked around like it was just us two on stage.

"Sorry I'm late guys! That traffic was unbelievable!" Jesse appeared, avoiding me at all costs, and turned to the guys. Cati and I finished, and we went backstage again.

"Hey…where's Lisa?"

"I dunno. Dude, where's Thomas?" Alex called, looking around. The two had apparently disappeared. I stifled a laugh, but everyone still heard. They all looked at me weirdly, and I could only laugh harder. How could they miss this? The obvious relationship between them.

"Girl, would you like to tell us what's going on in that head of yours?" Maya asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I-I just think it's funny. How you all missed the little blooming relationship between them." I said between giggles. God, what's wrong with me. At that moment, Lisa and Thomas came in, Thomas smirking, and Lisa positively bursting with happiness. I gave her a knowing glance, and she blushed, meeting my gaze. Everyone except Lisa and Thomas stared at me.

"Did you get your good luck charm?" Lianna asked casually.

"You bet, Li, you bet." Lisa answered.

"What good luck charm?" The boys chorused. Christa just sighed, and exchanged glances with us.

"Nat, you wanna help me look for my good luck charm?"

"Uhh..sure." He answered uneasily. I tensed a little, enough for my band to notice. I practically melted again though, as Jared came up behind me. He whispered in my ear, and then left, and I followed him soon after, hearing Maya and Cati and Lianna complain about how they don't have a good luck charm.

I laughed, and followed Jared. We were in a relatively closed space, the door only slightly ajar. I leaned up against a wall. He moved closer to me, and I mirrored his actions, standing on tip toe to meet his lips. He kissed me, and without thinking I kissed him back. One of his hand traveled up my leg, the other was on my back. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"What the fuck." Nat stood in the doorway, one arm leaning against the door, the other around Christa. I pulled back, and bit down on my lip. Before I remembered that it was perfectly okay to kiss my boyfriend. Nat just stared at me. He wouldn't stop, just stood there with an angry glare. Angry, and disappointed.

"Scram." Jared spat. Nat just turned around, and practically dragged Christa with him. Jared turned around, and tried to move closer to me.

"Whatever dude."

"L-later Jared." I turned away.

"Don't let that kid get to you babe. He's just jealous." He wrapped me in a hug, noticing my stress.

"It's not that. Really." I said, as he looked at me hard. "I just need to go help my band some more.

"Right. Whatever." Jared turned away, and I kept walking, trying not to let the tears fall. I couldn't shake the image of Nat out of my head.

Even when we went on stage, I masked my face with a giggle and a smile, and everyone thought I was fine. I could hear the crowd chanting, the screams, the applause. But even on stage, I could feel two pairs of eyes on my back.

**So….How is it? Please let me know…or else…how could I write better? R&R Thank you!**


	8. Tentative Bonding

Rosalina POV

"CATTIIIII!" Several of the guys, and Jesse, winced as Lianna screeched her band member's name.

"Well, I could have done that." Cooper stated simply. He was asked to find Cati for Trina. Being the only two true good sports about the tour, he agreed. He couldn't find her anywhere, and none of his band wanted to help.

"Hey, where's Christa?" Nat asked aloud, looking in the bus and around the lobby we were sitting in.

"No clue."

"Don't know."

"HAH. She's probably shopping." The various responses were getting on my nerves.

"She ran off with Cati. About a half hour ago. They said something about Abercrombie, and Footlocker."  
Everyone stared at me like I grew an extra head.

"What?" I blew a bubblegum bubble, and it popped, which sounded really loud, due to the silence of my band mates, and ex-band.

"Nothing. But that would've been helpful about 20 minutes ago." Nat replied coldly.

"They're big girls. They know how to handle a city like Memphis. _At least,_ Cati does. But I'm sure Christa does too. Right?" The guys nodded reluctantly, some of them glaring at me, the others, looking at me like I still had an extra head or two on me. At that precise moment, Cati walked in the door with about five shopping bags. Christa followed, with about four overflowing shopping bags also.

"Someone called?" Cati trilled, and Christa giggled.

"Actually, yes. Now that we have your attention," Cooper looked around as Trina came into the room. The guys were paying close attention, clearly focused. Maya and Lisa were busy exchanging nail polish, Cati was busy discussing the importance of dry cleaning party dresses with Christa, and Lianna was texting. And I had my headphones on, my music on full blast, trying to tune everything out. Clearly, it wasn't working. So I pretended it did.

"Guys!" Trina screeched as she got a rebuking scowl from a receptionist. All of the girls looked up, stopping what they were doing. I turned my music down a bit.

"As I was saying, Trina and I think it for the best that we do something fun together. As in both bands. Hanging out. Together." Cooper enunciated together. Everyone looked really reluctant, and I felt bad. Part of this..well maybe most of this…is my fault. Trina looked really stressed, and Cooper looked irritated at the lack of cooperation.

"But-" And here the protests came, from both sides. I sighed.

"I was going to meet up with this boy-" Lianna.

"I was planning to skype with my boyfriend-" Cati.

"I have to get new drum sticks!" Alex.

"I had plans for a new song!" Nat.

"I was gonna hang with David at the skate park!" Quassim. I knew Thomas and Lisa were catching a movie, and they didn't want the whole band there. I sighed again.

"Two hours. At MAX. And I'll be game." I replied, with my headphones turned on. The silence was freaking deafening.

"Two hours works with me." Christa agreed. I shot a smile her way. Hey, the girl likes Footlocker. I could possibly put my differences aside for that one little detail. She seemed surprised, but smiled slightly.

"No way," Nat said flatly.

"Whatever. Then I'm going to Footlocker." I stood up impatiently, and walked to the door.

"I'll come." Christa stood up, and quickened her pace to catch up with me. I was shocked, and my face must have shown it.

"I'm just as shocked as you Rosalina." She murmured.

"Wait up you two. I'll come to Footlocker!" The girl's voices chorused. Except for Lisa. She looked so torn.

"Lis." She looked up at me, tearing her gaze away from Thomas. "Go catch that movie you wanted to. I just want lunch together." She beamed, and practically dragged Thomas out the door. He just smirked, trying to keep his cool.

"Guys, guys, settle down. How about we _all _meet up for lunch? That's our 'together time'." I rolled my eyes slightly, and saw that Cati did the same.

"Kay. Bye." I turned on my heel, with my friends. And Christa. I can't say she's my friend. I'll be cordial, but I really don't want to go all bff or bffl with her. Not happening.

"Christa! You're really going with them?"

"Um yeah. All of you had plans." She stated simply. I noticed her sniffle softly, although she wasn't willing to let a tear show. I briefly wondered why.

"Well, I can wait a while, you wanna go hang out?" Aw, he was stuttering. He always stuttered when he asked me on a 'date,' he's even kind of cute-Rosalina! I yelled at myself. Damn it.

"Um…well…sure I guess." Christa wouldn't look at me, as she and Nat walked out of the lobby. We all went our separate ways.

When we caught up for lunch, everyone had something to say, and our table was loud with chatter. Where was Jared? He said he couldn't hang today, because he had to work on the bus. I bit my lip slightly. Cati nudged me, and Lianna met my gaze. They were worried, but I shook it off, and changed the subject. I sighed quietly, and stood up. I left, not caring if anyone was staring at me.

**Nat POV**

She just stood up, and left. What was wrong with her? This tour was a disaster, although lunch seemed to bring everyone together. Alex was discussing drum sets with Maya, and Thomas and Lisa were flirting. I was talking to Christa, but my mind was somewhere else. Cooper and Trina were getting along pretty well, and David and Quassim were talking with Cati and Lianna.

Rosalina just left the table, and no one noticed. I tried to act like I did, but I must not have been doing well because Maya caught my gaze with a glare. She looked at the direction Rosalina left, and glared at me again. Obviously I wasn't going to go after her. God, I'm so confused. My mind hurt thinking about her. I should've been kissing her-NO! I yelled at myself mentally.

"Nat, Nat. Nat. NAT!" Christa was snapping her fingers in front of my face, an annoyed look on her face.

"You weren't even listening to anything I said, were you?" She pouted, and I tried not to roll my eyes.

"I was listening to everything." I hugged her tightly, and she smiled again.

"Good, anyways, I was trying to tell you that apparently our driver is leaving us at Miami

"What?"

"Yeah." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I know because I heard Rosalina talking to him. He told her about it and she just about fell apart. They must really like each other. Almost like us Nat, huh?" Christa was playing the cards now. She knew I still had feelings for Rosalina, and she didn't like it. She was trying to see how much I liked her.

"So, who's our new driver?" I tried to look nonchalant about it, and changed the subject. Lunch went like that, and when Christa turned to talk to Lisa and Maya, I took the time to think about Rosalina. Was she really that broken up? I didn't think-I always thought we would end up together. But then that cruise, and the other guy-I sighed. Maybe I was a bit hard on her. I never really did let her explain….I sighed again, but unlike Rosalina stayed in my seat, enduring the endless chatter.

**Hmm…this seems like kind of a filler to me, but in some parts it's got important stuff in it. :D**


	9. Brittle Relationships

**Rosalina POV**

Where is Jared? He's probably at the tour bus. I was thinking about had told me earlier. He was going to leave us in Miami. I thought about it a bit, as I wandered around the lobby, to see if Jared would show. Nope. I found our tour bus, and stepped inside, hoping to find Jared. He wasn't there, so I went behind the bus. I stood stock still, as I watched my 'boyfriend' grind against some chick.

"What the fuck!" I yelled, tears threatening to fall. Jared and the blonde girl broke apart.

"You're interrupting," She started hotly, but she could hear Jared.

"Rosalina-It's-It's not what you think!"

"Who is she!"

"Who are you!" I fired back at her. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'm Mina. His girlfriend."

"Yeah, well, I got news. I was his girlfriend too!" Jared was slowly backing away, but I covered the short distance in seconds.

"You JACKASS! I can't believe you!" He was stuttering nervously, and I was firing a string of profanity towards him. Suddenly, I got really quiet, and so did he.

"How long." Mina laced her voice with venom.

"Well-"

"How long!" I screeched, losing any sanity I possibly had left in me.

"Three weeks." He gulped. "You both were in-in different schools in Tennessee."

"And that's supposed to MATTER!" I yelled, my voice cracking. I took another step towards him, feeling his hot breath on my face. I brought my hand back, and let it connect across his face. I was wearing a ring, which cut into his cheek and broke skin. Stumbling back, he fell into Mina, who had the same rage in her eyes. Pushing him away, she snorted in disgust.

"I hope you go to hell! How many more girls do you have wrapped around your finger? How many more, were stupid enough to trust you! I hate you!" My voice had broken, halfway through. Mina had fire, alight in her eyes, and she had no problem finishing the sentence. She slapped him on the other cheek, and promptly burst into tears.

"I'm finding another bus driver. Leave. Scram. NOW!" I screeched, and he was already dialing his cell phone, scrambling away from me. Mina walked off, without a word. And a second later, I heard a taxi pull up, and the loud sobs fading. The parking lot the bus was in was deserted. No one was around, and I had no desire at all to go back into the restaurant. Leaning against the bus, I decided to let the tears fall. For everything. I sobbed my heart out right there on the pavement, my head in my arms, hugging my knees to my chest. I felt pathetic. Everything seemed so wrong. I knew I wasn't really crying about Jared though. I was crying over losing Nat. I was crying over losing the band's trust. I was crying over my life, about every single thing that possibly needed crying about. I felt like I was crying buckets, and I knew I was as I felt my arms become soaked. I felt my tears pour down my face, and I felt the hopelessness surround me, wrapping me up, and hiding me away.

**Nat POV**

Me and the guys walked around to the back of the bus, making sure that all of our stuff was in there. We were leaving in the morning, and we didn't feel like having to check this in the morning. It was a little after lunch. I stopped short, and Alex colliding into me.

"Dude, what's wro-Oh." We all could see Rosalina wrapped up in a the fetal position, leaning against the bus, her face buried in her arms. Hearing our footsteps, head snapped up, looking alert. Her face was stained with tears. Biting her lip, she stood up, and walked past us. I was still angry at her, so I ignored the feeling to reach out and grab her hand. But before she disappeared, Alex reached out, and grabbed her arm, almost making her stumble.

"What do you want." She was trying to look mad, but her eyes never sparked with fire. Thomas whispered something about being a crybaby, and then they lit up. They lit up with a rage that none of us had ever seen before. She raised her hand to back hand him across the face, but a realization sparked through her, like she registered he was two years younger than her, and so shouldn't be slapped. Cooper held the wrist of her raised hand delicately, but firm enough to make sure she didn't slap anyone.

"What happened Rosalina?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because we're your friends." David, Quassim, and Thomas scoffed at that, but I remained silent.

"I highly doubt that. If we were still friends, then," She trailed off, leaving then sentence unfinished.

She would be in the band. She would be talking to us, and us to her. We wouldn't be in awkward situations on the tour. The two bands wouldn't be at each other's throats. Christa wouldn't be here. I filled in every possible answer, as she stared off into the distance.

"Alex, she's not going to say anything." It seemed like she was looking everywhere but at me.

"I have to go." She said it so coldly, without any emotion. Like we were talking to some stranger. Well, I guess she was a stranger now. I felt a pang in my heart as I said that. I could still get her back, if I tried. She pulled away from Alex, walking off, without a backward glance. I still didn't understand her. I felt fury burning inside me. At everyone. I walked off, not really knowing where I was going.

"Nat, where are you going!" Quassim yelled at my retreating form. I didn't answer him, as I was a bit focused on why the girl I knew I loved had tears in her eyes.


	10. Hushed Thoughts

**Caution, there's some-maybe more than some-swearing in this chapter.**

Fuck him. Fuck the world. Fuck my life. I should have seen this coming. I kicked a trash can over, ignoring the slight pain in my foot from the action. And what was with Alex? I mean, 'We're your friends' ? I walked into the hotel lobby, and bumped into Cati and Lianna.

"Rosalina!" Cati screeched. "What happened?" I was sobbing too hard so Lianna just gave me a hug.

"Was it Jared?" I nodded, as I tried to calm the constant tears.

"What did he do?" Cati and Lianna both looked concerned.

"The fucking asshole was cheating on some other fucking bitch from some other fucking school. I was so fucking blind I never fucking noticed, and I'm so freaking stupid for believing that I actually would be able to move on!" I took a breath, and I felt my cheeks grow hot. When did I ever swear like that?

Lianna just wrapped me in a hug again, as Cati cracked a smile.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. I just don't think I've ever heard you yell such profanity before."

"Yes, neither have I and you might want to keep it that way, before we get kicked out of this hotel one night too early. Now, from your tirade Rosalina, I suspect we need a new bus driver?" My cheeks grew really hot, flushing from embarrassment, as I nodded at Trina, who seemed to have joined in on the conversation. Cati burst into a fit of giggles, as did Lianna, while Trina was trying to calm them down. I cracked a half smile as the staff gave us dirty looks.

"Look, I'm…I'm going up to my room. Okay?" The smile faded from my face and the giggles disappeared. They nodded, giving me looks of pity. I didn't want their pity. I don't need it for crying out loud! It wasn't their fault though. No, of course it wasn't their fault. I trudged into the elevator, and went up to my room, and began to pack up most of my clothes. I cleaned up the mess around me and Lianna's bed, and finally laid down on one of them. I sighed, and let the tears come again. Looking up at the ceiling, I stared thoughtfully at it until my world seemed to fade. I fell asleep to a dream of a brown haired boy kissing someone backstage. As they broke apart I could see the girl's face clearly. It was me. I could also see the boy's face too. Well, what do you know? It was Nat.

* * *

**Nat POV**

The bus pulled to a stop, letting us off in the front of the hotel we were staying at. We were now in New Orleans. Our new bus driver was a girl, about 23. The whole ride down, she talked about skateboards, and dirt bikes. Needless to say Alex was talking to her the whole time.

I loved her. I loved her. Now what am I supposed to do? Christa came up to me and wrapped her arms around me. I looked at her, and smiled when she smiled back. I should be happy, I should feel alright. My thoughts took a dangerous turn. I should break up with Christa. I shouldn't lead her on. I shouldn't allow her to keep saying I love you. I shouldn't say it back to her. I should go and hug Rosalina. I should go and make sure she was alright.

But for some reason I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't bring myself to do anything I knew I should be doing, anything that could upset the balance on the tour. Anything that I knew would tear someone's heart apart. I felt like a coward. I looked at Rosalina as she got out. Her eyes were still red, and it looked like she was still crying. But over what? We got out and went to the hotel.

"Hey Nat, do you want to,"

"Sorry Alex, I can't."

"You haven't even heard what I was going to say!" I walked away from my stunned brother, speeding up my pace to catch up with Rosalina and Maya. Maya just glanced at me, and turned away when Rosalina asked her a question.

"Could you see it coming? Could you?"

"No, I couldn't, Rosalina, I'm sorry, but don't you think you should get over him by now? After what he did to you?"

"I am over him. I can't believe he had the nerve though."

"Who had the nerve to do what? Nat, to kick you out of the band?" Rosalina stopped suddenly, turning around to glare at David.

"No, not at all."

"Then who?" I finally found my voice, after staring at her for so long.

"You really want to know? Jared. Okay, it was Jared. He's the reason." She turned away and practically ran to her hotel room after checking in.

"Nice going. You're all she needs right now." Maya jogged after her, muttering about idiots, and guys. Sighing, I went to check into my room. We had to perform here twice, once tonight and one tomorrow afternoon. I set up my keyboard, playing a few scales absentmindedly. I heard the door open, and heard a bag drop to the floor with a 'thunk.'

"Hey Alex."

"Hey dude." He opened the mini fridge, exclaiming in delight that they had milk. I could feel his eyes on my back.

"What do you want Alex? I'm trying to practice here."

"No, you're trying to avoid Christa." My hand stopped mid-scale.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"You don't know everything Alex."

"But what I do know is that you still care for Rosalina, and you're fighting to keep caring for Christa." I glared.

"Look, can you just leave me alone or something? I have to practice." Alex snorted, and I could still feel his eyes. I snapped.

"Look! I don't wanna date Rosalina again! All she's done is mess up the band and our relationship! I'm done with her Alex! And obviously she's done with me too okay? That Jared guy will probably be back and apologize to her, and she'll probably forgive him, because she's Rosalina and everything always works out for her, and she never cares about anything else but herself!" Alex just stared, his milk carton slipping out of his hand. I caught it, and set it on the little table between the two beds.

"That's not all true you know."

"You don't know anything." I replied miserably.

"I know enough that Rosalina would never take him back. Because she became too proud. Too proud to beg at other's people's feet, to proud to ask to be let into the band again. And you, and all the other guys know it too."

"Yeah, well, her relationship with _Jared _is all sunshine and roses. So even if I did still like her, it's not like I have a chance. Not that I do or anything." I said way too quickly, realizing my mistake.

"Right." After a few more moments and scales, Alex opened the door.

"I have to go. Maybe you should try talking to her though dude. Or, both of them maybe. Rosalina _and_ Christa." He looked at me pointedly before shutting the door again. I stopped, sighed, and looked at the closed door again.


	11. Shadowy Memories

**Nat POV**

The concert in New Orleans passed without much drama. I could tell that Christa knew something was wrong, and I felt terrible for lying to her. I gazed up at the bus' ceiling as I lay on my bunk.

"Nat?" I sat up and looked down. Christa was leaning against the opposite bunk.

"Yeah?" I failed at trying to sound upbeat. I sounded more like a druggie that smoked too much. I went back to lying down.

"Um, the band wants to know if you're okay. _I _want to know if you're okay." I realized how quiet it was on the bus.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Why is it so quiet?" I finally sat up and climbed down the ladder. There was a partition to my left, Lisa had put it up between the bands bunks and all the girls used it as a changing room. Christa glanced at it uneasily.

"Well, Rosalina's band," I inwardly scowled. Her band should be us.

"Are sleeping because they had a bit too much to drink last night…" Christa's gaze shifted. The guys rolled their eyes.

"Yeah. I bet Rosalina,"

"Do you want to finish that sentence Quassim?" Rosalina was right behind me, digging a cola out of the fridge. She stood up and glared.

"Well, I was gonna say that you never did that kind of stuff when you were in our band. You were in high school, and you never partied like they do!"

"How do you know?! Maybe I did. I know it was hard, but did you ever think for a second I had a life outside of your band!" Rosalina hissed as she slammed the fridge shut.

"You had a life, sure Rosalina! But not like that one! You know it! You would never come in to a morning practice on the weekend smelling of beer and cigarettes. Not like Cati and Lisa do!" David piped in angrily. Christa and I exchanged nervous glances.

"Excuse me Christa, Nat." She gently stepped between us and made her way closer to the rest of my band. "If you guys have anything else you want to say, you better get it in the air now, before we reach Miami. Because I am _not _fighting about my life with you." She glared.

"Well, if we're getting things out in the air about you, I think you're selfish." Rosalina's eyes practically turned black.

"Really, Thomas? Why is that?" He scoffed.

"Because you left the band maybe? Maybe because you left and never came back!" Rosalina looked ready to spit fire.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to, trust me Thomas. But just because I didn't, because I knew you guys could find another bassist, maybe someone that didn't act like I did, someone that deserved to be with you, well, that doesn't mean I'm selfish. For those reasons it would be anything but."

"But you go and find _another _band?!" David practically yelled.

"Yeah, I did! Because even though I lost you guys, I wasn't going to give up playing! I needed music more than ever! And when Cati came along and made tryouts, I went for it! Because I knew you had moved on already! That day I came back, when I saw the banner," I cut in.

"What banner? The one for – Oh no, Rosalina."

"What!" She yelled at me, now close to tears.

"The banner was for Juanita. She won a skateboard competition that day. I wanted to throw her a surprise party." Alex had been silently watching the exchange. When he interrupted, I saw Rosalina's face turn pink. She opened her mouth to say something.

"So, technically you moved on before we did!" Thomas yelled tiredly. "But then we had to go and find another bassist and it was so hard! We were lucky we found Christa!" I saw Christa stiffen out of the corner of my eye. He saw too.

"Wait, Christa, I didn't mean," She just shook her head, trying to stop the tears.

"No. I get it. I'll never be like Rosalina. It's fine." She turned and opened the partition. I grabbed her wrist.

"Christa, wait." She just shook me off, and slipped behind the curtain. I heard a sob break out. I covered my head in my hands.

**Rosalina POV**

I watched as Christa closed the curtain. My eyes darted to Nat, who seemed too tired and confused to speak. Thomas was still sputtering out an apology. I let out a sigh.

"Look. I'm not going to fight about this with you guys. Regardless of what has happened, this tour is happening. We only have four more cities to stop at, and then _my_ band and _our foolish antics_ will be out of your life." Rosalina motioned her hands between us. "In the meantime, we have to try to get along, and none of you are making this any easier." David and Quassim scoffed.

"What if we don't want to just make this easy, Rosalina?" Alex had removed himself from his spot next to the driver. He had walked right into the middle of a fight. Thomas shook his head.

"Alex I told you not to,"

"NO. THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE HAVE TO. LOOK AT US. WE'RE ALL ACTING LIKE THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO FORGET WE'RE EVEN NEAR EACH OTHER. WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THOSE OTHER MEMORIES WE'VE HAD? YOU GUYS CAN'T FORGET ABOUT EACH OTHER."

I sighed, "Alex, you don't understand,"

"WHAT DON'T I UNDERSTAND ROSALINA? THAT YOU DRINK? THAT YOU PARTY? THAT YOU FINALLY HAVE _GIRL_ FRIENDS WHO ARE THE SAME AGE AS YOU? I UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING. YOU'RE ACTING LIKE YOU'VE OUTGROWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND BECEAUSE OF SOME SILLY, STUPID EVENTS THAT HAPPENED A YEAR AGO. YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO FORGETTING US BECAUSE YOU THINK YOUR 'NEW' LIFE IS SO MUCH BETTER." I opened my mouth to speak.

"NO. WHY DON'T YOU JUST TELL US THE TRUTH. WHY DID YOU REALLY BREAK UP WITH NAT AND WHY DID YOU REALLY LEAVE THE BAND? WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED THAT NIGHT ROSALINA? WHY DID YOU GET ON THAT BUS?" The tension was thick and the emotions were buzzing around everyone like pesky flies. Alex almost never yelled at anyone. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. When I opened them, everyone was looking at me expectantly. Okay, get a grip. Act natural. Don't let them know. They can't know. Alex's words unraveled my memories, ones that were kept locked up for long. _That voice_ leaked out, into my brain: _Break them, Rosalina. Do whatever you have to do to protect them. If you fail, then you know what happens next. Break their hearts, because that will be the only way to keep them safe._

No. This wasn't happening. I glanced outside the window, to the highway. We were closer and closer to Florida every minute. I could do this.

"I don't know why you think that Alex." My glare was set, my eyes steely and cold. I was gripping the coke bottle for dear life.

"At least, the part about me lying to you. I wasn't. I needed Cati's band. I wasn't being a real teenager. I felt like I couldn't even go to a party without you guys suffocating me. This band totally sucked. It wasn't fun." My gaze cut through everyone's hurt faces, and I rushed on. I needed to do this.

"I hated how you guys always acted so childish. I hated all of _you_. I'm just glad I will never have to deal with this shit again once I'm _home_ in Tennessee." I turned, and without another glance I walked back through the partition. I didn't have to look, I already knew.

Finally, I did it.

_Break their hearts sweetheart. If you want to save their precious little band, break them all._


	12. Sunlit Intentions

**Christa POV**

I understood. I knew that I would never fully replace Rosalina. I was only a bassist, and they were looking for something else as well. I didn't need to be notified of it. I could see it on their faces.

"_Yeah, she's pretty good, but,"_

"_She can hit all the notes perfect except,"_

"_Guys, it doesn't if she's not- Well, nevermind."_

"_I mean, she was the best player, but,"_

"_Why can't we wait for a few more months?" Their barely concealed conversation was fenced off with a glass window. It was back in the studio, and my breathing was uneven, my heart was jumping out of my chest. I fingered a couple of chords. I knew it, I just knew. It wasn't that I wasn't good enough, I just wasn't her. They weren't looking for the best bassist. They were looking for their best friend._

I already knew. It was stamped into my brain. With every single one of their movements, their attempts to encourage me, or correct me, even with their _glances_, I could tell. It would never be good enough to be a good bassist, even if I became better than Rosalina. They needed their childhood friend, their nagging sister, and their old band member. They needed Rosalina.

I slammed my fist against the bed post, rattling the upper bunk. I had been sitting beneath drunk girl number one and across from the rest of them for a while now. I could hear Cati's thungover form shift on the mattress above me, and I could her her whispers.

"Water, Rosie, please…" Her hand waved over the edge of the bed, and I briefly thought of leaving it there: Expecting some cool refreshment, but never receiving what it needed the most. I uncrossed my legs and made my way over to the girls' mini-cooler. Finally fishing a bottle of water out from beneath the cheap beer and vodka, I unscrewed the cap. I had seen Rosalina do this numerous times before. Lifting the bottle to Cati's lips, I let the hungover girl sip water. I watched her roll back over and burrow beneath the blankets, away from the glaring sunlight and the scorching day time.

"Looks like she had the right idea." Rosalina came back out from my band's side of the partition. Though I was invited to bunk with the rest of the girls, I often moved blankets to the other side. Sleeping closer to Nat was comforting and I had hoped that by making my bunking intentions clear, there would be an unspoken bond of loyalty between me and the rest of the band. No such luck, of course.

I scooted over silently, avoiding any and all eye contact with Rosalina. It wasn't that I hated her. I just didn't really want to like her. I knew too much of her history with Nat, and I'm sure she knew my not-so-impressive-or-lengthy history as well. I wasn't about to dive into a friendship that would be riddled with questions and distrust. In almost all cases, it's chicks before dicks or sisters before misters, but I make special exceptions for extremely attractive, incredibly funny celebrities. Especially when he's a year and three months older than me. Especially when it's Nat.

"Christa," Rosalina was still staring at me, unsure of how to go on. After a few minutes, I finally looked up.

"What?"

"I'm sorry." My gaze connected with hers, and for a split second I saw a girl who would actually be my friend, my best friend. I saw the kind of girl who everyone needs, because she cares and she is kind and she is beautiful. I didn't like that. I told myself no. This would not end well, a friendship with the girl whose place I took.

"What are you sorry for?" Rosalina diverted her gaze. "You don't have to apologize, Rosalina."

She shook her head adamantly. "No. I do. I need to apologize because I haven't made this trip easy. I know you're trying to fit in with the band, and I feel like everything I do makes things happen the opposite. I'm also sorry for that last fight." I scooted a little closer to Rosalina.

"It wasn't your fault. The guys had no right to say what they did about you. You were just sticking up for yourself, and your new friends." I hesitated. "But thank you. I needed an apology, but not from you." Rosalina only nodded. This was not the kind of dynamic you would want to talk about Nat with, and both of them knew that. The silence stretched on and I glanced out the window hoping for the Miami sign. Miraculously, they made it into Florida. Not much longer compelled to say something, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"If it makes you feel better, they actually miss you still." I could have sworn that Rosalina muttered, 'They won't now.' I shifted uncomfortably.

"That doesn't matter anymore." Rosalina tried to look confident, and anyone else would have accepted that position of finality. But I knew better.

"It does though." I didn't have to say that it ruined any chance of the band moving on with their new bassist, because she already knew. I was certain that that was the true reason for her apology.

She shook her head quickly.

"No, it can't matter." I looked at Rosalina, curiously.

"Why not?" She glared at the comforter. There was a long pause; sign after sign rolled by, melting into the sunny landscape. The air conditioner blew furiously, as if it was also order to blow the tension away with the heat. I was about to ask again, certain that Rosalina hadn't even registered my question. Before I could, the loud cheer erupted in the front of the bus. The bright, big sign to our right screamed happiness: "Welcome to Miami." There was lots of shifting and movement, and for a while Rosalina left the bed to rouse her bandmates. Clamor and chaos was slowly bubbling, threatening to erupt. The hotel loomed into view, but all I could do was watch Rosalina studiously pick up and organize her band's things.

We finally pulled into the parking lot and there was the normal scrambling noises, of boys trying to race off the bus. I heard the slow, steady footsteps of Nat, and with a glance out the window, I saw his figure waiting by the door. For me, I hoped.

Rosalina had begun round two of wake-up calls, and I knew there would be at least three more attempts before she was successful. I stood up to grab my bags, now certain that Rosalina had heard me, and was simply going to ignore the question.

But before I could take my first step off the bus, she stopped me. Looking me straight in the eye, I would almost swear that her eyes were welling up with tears. She was fighting to keep them at bay. There was a second of silence, before Rosalina's voice rang out, clear and sure, determined and strong.

"Because that means everything I've done to protect them was for nothing." Without another word, she disappeared through the partition, her body tense and coiled, as if ready to strike.

As if she was ready to defend.


	13. Stalking Stalls

**Rosalina POV**

After checking into the hotel we were rounded up by Cooper and Trina, as they listed off random things we had to do. We all stumbled into one giant elevator that would take us all the way to the top floor.

"Alright guys, the Naked Brother's Band has to make appearances here, here, and here,"

"While the Star Rockers have to sign autographs at the hotel, and a couple of clubs,"

"I also signed you guys up for a couple of interviews, in order to please the hordes of poparazzi,"

"And there are a few fashion magazines who want the girls, yes, you too Christa, to participate in a photo shoot." The list went on and on. I sighed. At all the other stops, we only had a few things to do. There weren't this many public appearances and it was easy to just enjoy the city. I wasn't so sure that was possible this time.

Trina took a huge gulp of air and looked at Cooper uneasily. He nodded slightly, looking, as always, very business-like, but also weary.

"Okay you guys. You also have to make public appearances together. You all _are_ doing this tour together and we want to show the press that bands aren't always competitive for the spotlight. We want you guys to be friends." Trina glanced quickly over at me, before looking towards Nat and Christa, while Cooper did the same to the other guys, sending another wary glance towards me and Cati. Of course.

The bell above the door rung, signaling that it was time to step out. Looking around, I felt that public appearances together wouldn't be that hard. The press was already eating up Thomas and Lisa's relationship, after a newscaster caught them walking out of the movies hand in hand. The other kind of fell together as well, and Christa was spending more time with Maya and Lianna when the guys were busy. Of course, Trina and Cooper got along _swimmingly_ since they shared the pain of keeping us in line and on time. Alex loved the driver, who turned out to be Lianna's older sister. Between hanging around Lianna (just to see the driver, of course) and talking to Maya about the drums, he seemed to love the tour.

I quickly glanced behind me. I suppose it was just Quassim and David who were the odd ones out. The mostly found themselves in conversations with Lianna or Maya, since they were very opposed to Cati and Lisa's constant habits of "_illegal things."_ Nat often ignored us girls as well, always preoccuping himself with Quassim, David, or Alex. And Christa, of course.

Even though…I looked around subtly. Quassim and Christa seemed to be spending a little more time together. Perhaps he actually understood what the band was unconsciously doing to Christa. I smiled a little – Quassim is just that kind of guy.

I guess it was Cati and I who normally tried to stay out of the way of the boys. Cati, being the loyal, loving, best friend that she is, has gone through all possible measures to keep me away from the band. She was always whisking me away to parties or stores or photoshoots, or claiming that we needed to rehearse a special solo together. This definitely happened whenever Nat got within two feet of me. Actually, it was like my entire band was trying to distract me from them.

Somehow, my feet had carried me to my room. I was in my own room this time, and the view was beautiful. I threw my stuff on a fluffy chair and collapsed onto the bed. We've only been in Miami for fifteen minutes and it already feels like forever.

"ROSALINA GET READY." Cati and Lisa flew into my room. I simply groaned, and tried to pry the sheets off the bed to throw them over my head. Lisa merely giggled.

"There's no time for that silly! We get to have a photoshoot with one of the photographers for Teen Vogue, and she's even taking us to dinner after! It's this really good seafood place by the beach." She pulled the sheets and pillow away from me while Cati shuffled through my clothes and makeup.

"We have the perfect outfit for you too! We're going to look so hot tonight girls!" I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"What are you two talking about?" Lisa's eyes widened.

"Oh yeah! We forgot. There's a HUGE party over at the Avenue, which is this private club that rich college kids can rent out. The photographer's son invited us…Rosalina, you would not _believe_, that boy is super cute!" I rolled my eyes.

"I thought you and Thomas were a thing."

"Oh we are! I wasn't talking about for me, silly! I was talking about for you!" Their high-pitched laughter echoed off the walls.

"Let's go slowpoke. Trina's gonna kill us if we're not down there in an hour. Oh yeah, Christa's coming too." I fell back onto the bed, groaning. Great.

* * *

I somehow managed to make it to the lobby in half an hour, after a quick shower, a brief outfit fight, and a huge makeup argument. Trina ushered all of us back onto the bus, as we drove to the coast. After the long and tiring photoshoot, we pulled into a parking lot, and I watched the restaurant's sign flicker.

It turned out that _Seafood Paradise_ was just a place where you could buy overpriced shrimp with too little cocktail sauce. The company wasn't much better – I made sure to stay next to Cati, and placed myself the farthest from Mrs. Lief and her son. I didn't have to look to know that Lisa was sitting across from, no doubt making a pitch on how I was the number one girlfriend of the year. The only one who seemed to be as miserable as me was Christa.

To try and cheer her up, I quietly joked about the food. She giggled but her grimace made it clear. How anyone was willing to pay hundreds of dollars for puny shrimp was beyond us.

"Hey Rosalina, are you going to this party tonight?" She looked nervous and maybe just a little afraid. I nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm probably not going to drink much. I pointed to my wine glass on the table. If they're serving _that_ at the club I'm better off with more shrimp. The wine tasted awful. Christa smiled.

"Do you think there's any way that I could just go back?" She whispered.

"Christa, dear! Rosalina, sweetheart!" We both snapped back to attention, as Mrs. Lief leaned over Lianna to look at us.

"You two have barely had anything to eat! You better eat now, or else you'll be faint when you go dancing at the club tonight." Christa looked down, before meeting the woman's gaze.

"Actually, Mrs. Lief, you've been very kind, it's just that I don't really…"

"It's my son's birthday, you know. The big eighteen! It'll be such a special party, my dear. Surely you won't miss it?" The look in Mrs. Lief's eyes could have burned anyone to ash.

"Oh, of course. I wouldn't miss his birthday for the world." Christa forced a smile to look sincere.

"Surely Rose, you too, are coming?" I bit my lip from correcting her, and nodded politely. Christa turned towards me and raised her eyebrow. I guess she didn't think the name was very good for me either.

Suddenly my phone began vibrating. I jumped, unprepared for the noise, and almost succeeded in knocking my wine over in the process. I scooted my chair backwards quickly, and stood up.

"Excuse me…It must be my, um, uh, my dad. I forgot to call him earlier today, he's probably worried." Mrs. Lief pointed to the bathroom and I had to keep myself from sprinting. I clicked the green "answer" button, gulping as I saw the number.

* * *

"I thought I told you to stay away from them, you foolish brat." I leaned against the bathroom sink, making sure that the stalls were empty.

"It's not my fault,"

"It is! I told you that there would be BIG trouble for you and your precious little bands if you ever stepped a toe out of line. And now you're joking with one of them at dinner in Miami!" I gripped the sink quickly, trying not to faint. I turned around quickly, half expecting to see a masked man behind me.

"That's right," the man laughed humorusly, "I've been tracking your every move. I have people at eveyr single one of your stops. I _warned_ you when you found out about this business that the only way to protect your friends was to break up their band."

"Now, there's no need to use drastic measures, the only thing I want is for the band to stop performing. The boys can live in peace, in their safe little houses, playing their puny little instruments. However, if the band can't be broken up the easy way, then my men will have to take other steps to…persuade them."

"Rosalina?" I jumped ten feet in the air, before spinning around, ready to launch a soap dispenser. Maya held up her hands in defeat, and waited for my breathing to slow. As I straightened up, I could hear the dial tone from my phone. He hung up.

"Rosalina…" Maya looked worried.

"Yeah?" I tried to sound bright and peppy.

"Rosalina, that wasn't your dad, was it?" Before I could make up an excuse, Maya nodded in confirmation. I guess the look in my eyes was enough.

"Rosalina, promise you that you're not doing something dangerously stupid. Or messed up. Promise me that you're safe."

I could only nod as I closed my phone. I might be safe, but if I couldn't find a way to break up my old band, then the boys definitely wouldn't be.


	14. Party Pressures

**Christa POV**

"Come on, girl! You gotta dance like you _want_ to be here!" Cati bumped me with her hip, and tried to get me to move around more. Her voice was barely audible since the speakers were pumping out nothing but pop.

"Yeah, Christa! I thought you _loved_ to dance!" I rolled my eyes at Lisa, who simply stuck her tongue out at me while she cracked open another beer. I danced backwards, successfully taking myself away from the crowded dance floor. I looked for Rosalina, and finally found her talking closely with Maya. After a couple minutes of debating, I almost ran over to them.

"Hey guys…" They both smiled, and Rosalina laughed lightly.

"Looks like Lisa and Cati already got a hold of you." I looked down, my shirt already wet with beer and wine. I began to retort furiously, until I realized Rosalina wasn't trying to make fun of me. I laughed, and shook my head, before pointing to the corner of college guys.

"Yeah, and I bet Kevin would just _love_ to get a hold of you, Rosalina." Her eyebrows went up in surprise, before answering me with another laugh.

"More like Mrs. Lief would want to get a hold of me, that woman is crazy." Maya and I laughed, agreeing quickly. The photo shoot was awful, and dinner was just awkward. Worse still, Trina had given her all of our numbers, for "future reference." We were all worried as to what that would entail.

Suddenly, Lianna danced up to us, grabbing all three of us by the hands. "Why aren't three of the hottest, most spectacular girls I know dancing their asses off? I do believe we've just crashed a frat-boy party with the best booze, and boys," she quickly spun us in a circle before pulling us into a hug.

"And don't look now Rosalina, but I _do_ believe Kevin Lief is checking you out right this very minute." Her eyes narrowed conspiratorially as Rosalina shook her head quickly.

"No, Lianna, don't you dare!" Rosalina shrieked as Lianna spun us through the crowd before casually pushing her away, right into the arms of Kevin.

"Now, that Rosalina will finally relax, _hopefully_, it's time to get _you_ to loosen up!" I tried to escape her grasp quickly as shook my head.

"No, really guys, that's not necessary at all. I mean,"

"Christa, sweetie, have you ever even had a beer before?" Lianna wrapped her arm around my shoulder, steering us toward the coolers. "Maya will vouch for this too; it's not really that bad. It's just a buzz. We did this all the time as freshmen."

"I know, but,"

"Look, girl. I don't give a shit what you're going to tell us, even though I'm sure it will be something about the guys, or your boyfriend Nat, or Jesse, or your parents." Lianna fished a beer out of the cooler and popped the top open.

"And I'm sure you'll say something about how they won't approve. But the thing is, you can do whatever the hell you want. You're a star, a celebrity, for god's sake." Lianna handed me the beer as Maya continued talking.

"The point is, if you want to drink a beer, then drink a beer. I'm not saying you have to get drunk, but no one has gotten drunk off of a few sips of beer. Most people just act like it, because it's incredibly easy to act drunk." I stared at the can in my hand, drumming my fingers on the aluminum can.

Maya sighed. "Look, girl. If you don't want to drink it, that's fine. But I know you've been feeling suffocated, and I'm sure you feel like you're not being listened to by anyone. You probably feel like you don't get to make half of the choices you normally do, and tonight, you're at a party where almost no one knows your name, your relationships, or your history. If there was any night to choose exactly what you want, then tonight is it." I simply nodded, and walked away. I knew they were talking about me, sighing and shaking their heads. I knew they were talking about how much of a cowardly freshman I was, and coming from them, and their knowledgeable senior advice, I had never felt smaller, more babied, and more out of control than right then.

I rounded the corner and found a small room in the club, littered with beer bottles. There were a few unopened cans in a red cooler, and a large fluffy couch. My grip tightened on the can I was still holding. I wasn't dumb, or naive and I certainly wasn't going to be that freshman. I just didn't really like to party. I sat down, and surveyed the room. No one would find me here, I was sure. I looked down at the beer again.

Just one sip wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"Heeeyyyyyyyyyy babe. You know, you're reaaallllyyyyy hot. And cute. And smart and funny and ohmygod I think I love everything about you…except for well, you know. How you're _always_ paying attention to that other girl…Lily? Daisy? Rose? Rosie? Ohh yeah, hahahah, _ Rosalina_. How come you've never written me a song? 'Christa' could be your next big hit baby, hahahaha. But of course you wouldn't, baby. I know I don't really have your heart, you gave that sucker away a long time ago, huh? Well, cutie, just leave me a message when you _actually_ mean that you loooovveeee me. I looooovveee _you_ Nattie-boy. Isn't that cute? Can I call you that? Maybe not, because it doesn't feel like we're in an actually relationship anyways? That's okay, but I'm just warning you, you better be okay if I find another third wheel relationship for me…huh? Hahahahaha. Isn't awesome to finally be talking together? Isn't this great? Aren't just in loooooooooove? Looooooovveee you too, Natty-poo."

* * *

"Dude, where did the girls go?" Thomas looked around the hotel room as if they'd appear. Nat looked up from the movie.

"Weren't they supposed to be back three hours ago?" The dinner was supposed to be over by ten, and it was already two in the morning.

"Guys, don't worry about it, they can all handle themselves, I'm sure." Everyone looked at me oddly.

"What? I'm just saying,"

"Dude, who would still be eating at dinner at one in the morning?"

"Truck drivers?" Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, dude." David raised his hands in defeat.

"Look, guys, if it helps, I'll call Trina, and check on everyone." Cooper took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Trina's number.

"Hey Trina, its Cooper. Where are you guys, you were supposed to be back four hours ago?" On the other end of the line we could hear a lot of music and laughter.

"You guys are at Kevin Lief's birthday party? What? Why?" Cooper paused as Trina tried to speak over the music. "Okay, well, I hope the rest of the girls know there's a dual rehearsal tomorrow. The press wants to catch the two bands practicing together and it would be really good publicity," Cooper nodded, before frowning. "Oh. Well, have you seen them at all? I mean, NO Trina, I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to make sure that everyone would be ready to rehearse together tomorrow. Okay, well, see you soon. Bye." Cooper sighed and the guys immediately attacked him for answers. He held his hands up quickly.

"Guys, guys, calm down. Trina says they're on their way back."

"That was a long wait for a table Coop." We all knew that Nat was suggesting they _weren't_ at a restaurant anymore.

"Look, apparently Mrs. Lief practically dragged them to her son's birthday party herself. She wanted them to experience the luxury life of Florida or something like that."

"Well, from the sounds coming out of Trina's phone, I doubt the leaf lady is still there, and I bet her son is all over those girls…AND I'm willing to bet an entire year's worth of allowance that they're at one of those college parties." David stated matter of factly.

"Yeah, well, that punk better not lay a finger on Lisa or else I swear I'll show him who's boss!" Thomas pounded the floor angrily.

"Okay, Thomas. We get it, you really, really, like Lisa. But what about Christa? She's like three years younger than the rest of the band, and we know for a fact that she's never partied before…" Nat trailed off wordlessly.

"I'm sure Christa's fine, you guys. I'll bet nothing even really happened." We all rolled their eyes slightly at Alex's sleepy input. As the youngest, Alex still was able to see the best in everyone, and overlook the more…high school attitudes towards parties and stuff.

About a half an hour passed when Cooper's phone rung, waking everyone up from sleep.

"That's great that you're back, Trina! Okay…well, we'll just discuss the details of the rehearsal really quickly tomorrow morning…Are you girls alright? Trina, you sound really out of it. Oh, well okay. Het the band was wondering about Christa – Rosalina and her went to their rooms already? Okay, well, I guess we'll see you guys tomorrow, bye." Cooper hung up, slightly bemused.

"That's odd. Normally Trina's awake until four a.m. preparing plans for rehearsals."

"Isn't Christa coming to say goodnight to all of us? She normally does…" Alex blinked away sleep, lazily.

"Maybe I should go check on her. I'll be right back you guys." Cooper held his hand out to stop Nat from opening the door.

"Actually, Nat. Maybe you should wait until tomorrow, Trina said that none of the girls, including Christa, wanted to be disturbed until tomorrow morning, because they were really tired from the photo shoot today." David and Thomas made eye contact with me and we rolled our eyes.

"Point being," we said at the same time, "they're all drunk." I thought for a bit.

"Except for maybe Christa." Everyone nodded at my words as Cooper turned the light out again.

"Alright guys, let's go back to bed. We have a long day tomorrow."

As I lay back down on my pillow, my ear hit my phone. I pulled it from under my head and looked at it quickly. I squinted; there was a voicemail on my phone. I clicked on the icon and listened to the message. The voice, tone, and words made me gulp quickly. I sat up, and looked around. All the guys had fallen back to sleep. I pressed another button, and listened to the message more closely, even though I didn't need to.

"Heeeyyyyyyyyyy babe…"

I already knew who it was. I listened to the message again, and I kept trying to make out Nat's form on the floor, while trying to tune into _her _voice.

This was not good, not good at all.


	15. Phony Photographers

**Rosalina POV**

Ugh. I felt awful. I opened the door to the auditorium we were rehearsing in, trying to balance the load of coffees and hot chocolates and my bass in my hand. I could hear someone come up behind me.

"Here, let me get that."

"Thanks so much," I smiled at Christa who balanced another cup of coffee on top of the hot chocolate she was holding. As we were handing out all of the drinks, I eyed the last hot chocolate Christa saved for herself. Looking back at her disheveled form, I handed her an extra coffee that Lianna didn't want.

"Here. Take this." Christa looked at the cup critically. "Honestly, it's hard to deal with this kind of morning without a little caffeine. Trust me." She simply nodded in thanks, before whispering under her breath.

"Do I really look that bad, Rosalina?" I looked at her quickly.

"You don't look _bad;_ you just look like you're trying to work through a hangover. Rough night?" I smiled in sympathy.

"Tell me about it. Lianna and Maya got to me and well…" I nodded, also noticing that Christa looked reddened considerably as Nat walked in. I could've swear I heard an 'oh no,' escape from her mouth, but as Nat hugged her she relaxed. I looked away pointedly, trying to find someone else to talk to. In the corner of my eye I could see Quassim, who kept looking as if he had to talk to Christa.

Finally, the rest of the girls walked through the door, Trina holding it open tiredly. Cooper was surveying the room, and I could tell by his facial expressions that what he saw was not a good sight.

"Guys, guys, come on. We have to start rehearsal soon! Not to mention that in a few seconds a couple of reporters will come and take pictures of us practicing together," Alex looked up quickly.

"Uh, Coop? Is that really a good idea? I mean, the press has always somehow twisted everything they report about us…you're just going to let them in on one of our rehearsals?" I handed the girls their lattes before turning to open my case. My phone buzzed next to me, and I looked to see a text from Kevin. Rolling my eyes, I stuffed the phone into my purse and began tuning my instrument.

"Someone, _please_, tell me whose bright idea it was to have this rehearsal…at _ten in the morning?_" Cati, ever the morning person, and ever the spitfire, narrowed her eyes at Trina as she sipped her latte. Trina held up her hands in defeat.

"Look, girls. I'm sorry, but we could really use the rehearsal time."

"Man, you're like female Cooper number two." David laughed.

"Number two?" Lianna raised her eyebrows.

"Patty Scoggins, his _girlfriend_, is like the perfect replica of him." I explained quickly, handing Lianna her guitar. I watched her struggle with the shoulder strap and the latte in the same hand.

"Could we please leave Mrs. Scoggins out of this? We have to start rehearsal soon!" Trina looked over the girls appraisingly.

"It doesn't hurt to freshen up a bit either. Lisa, fix your hair. Cati, your shirt is crooked, and fix the loops on your flats. Lianna, oh no – You just spilled latte on your shirt…um, take this." Trina tossed a glittery shirt from her bag to Lianna, who stumbled off to change. Maya, your makeup is a little smudged; here, take this napkin, Rosalina…" Trina paused to look at me quickly. "You look good…" She looked me up and down again, the question clearly on her lips.

"Did you…"

"Nope. I was a little _preoccupied."_ I could feel Maya's eyes on my back.

"With what?" I rolled my eyes.

"With _Kevin_." I practically hissed. The idiot had been hitting on me all night, and had constantly tried to take me home with home. Not to mention, there were multiple other text messages I was battling on my phone.

"Who's that? Your new boyfriend?" David and Thomas piped up.

"No." I said flatly. There was absolutely no way I was battling this issue with them this morning.

"Guys, guys!" Cooper intervened. "The photographer just called. She said she's walking into the building. Don't forget, whatever you do. Play nice."

"Well, well! What I coincidence! If it isn't my favorite band of models." I inwardly groaned, before smiling at the woman in front of me.

"Good morning Mrs. Lief. How are you today?" Mrs. Lief's polite smile broke into a grin.

"Such a wonderful group of kids. Such great examples for our future generation." Cooper and the guys, obviously taken aback by the familiarity between the woman and the rest of girls, stood silently. Trina finally managed to regain her voice.

"Mrs. Lief! It's such a nice surprise to see you again. I want to thank you for the dinner, it was simply wonderful." Trina grabbed Cooper's arm, and pulled him forward.

"This is Cooper, he is the manager for the Naked Brothers Band, one of whose members you met last night." Trina gestured to Christa and the guys, and most of them waved back nervously. Mrs. Lief nodded, obviously delighted.

"Yes, well, my brother is a reporter and he was hoping to get some _exclusive_ photos of your rehearsal, and I thought I would stop by, and just say hello! Also," I could feel Mrs. Lief's eyes on me again.

"Kevin was interested in stopping by as well." She motioned towards her son and gently pushed him towards me. I could hear Nat's scoff, and how he quickly covered his displeasure up by coughing loudly. I rolled my eyes, before catching Trina's stare.

Sighing slightly, I turned to face Kevin.

"How are you?" He smiled.

"Just fine. You look like you recovered nicely from my party." I stiffened my smile, before nodding.

"Yes, well, it looks like I better go rehearse, so…"

"We'll see each other later?" I suddenly felt too close to Kevin; his breath was hot on my face and he grabbed my hand quickly. I nodded, before pulling away, tightening my grip on my bass.

"Cati, I think we should start practicing now." She simply nodded, and we began rehearsing our songs. When we were done, there was a short break, and I could tell all of us were trying to "intermingle" as much as possible for the reporters. Every once in a while, he would gesture to a couple of us, and have us stand next to each other for a photo.

During the break, I looked over at Mrs. Lief's entourage. I frowned. Another man had slipped in next to her brother, taking several photos of the band. I looked at Trina and Cooper, but they were too busy trying to keep David and Cati from arguing loudly with the camera.

"Well, alright. I think we have enough pictures, thank you all for your patience." Mrs. Lief's brother – John, he said to call him – left shortly after the guys had finished rehearsing. The other reporter waved his camera at Trina.

"I was wondering, Miss? May I get an interview with your new bassist? My boss heard she went on a cruise as a prize for winning a music competition, and we've heard she's quite spectacular." Trina nodded.

"Go ahead!"

"Actually, I was wondering if this interview could happen in private? We have quite a few questions to ask her, and we wouldn't want them causing any _rifts_ between her and her friends." I narrowed my eyes.

"Actually, I just remembered,"

"Rosalina, please?" I stared at Trina for a few seconds before nodding mutely. The reporter grinned.

"Fantastic. Right this way Miss Tai. It'll just be a few questions." He led me outside, a good distance away from the door. We sat down at a café table.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"I want to know why the Naked Brothers Band hasn't broken up yet." His voice made my blood turn cold.

"Who are you?"

"Now, now, Rosalina. My boss won't like it if I tell him his little _helper_ has been shirking her duties. He wanted to remind you that you made a deal." His grip tightened on the camera as he smirked.

"Do I need to remind you what will happen if you back out?"

"What do you want? Why on earth does he care this much about my-err., that band? What did they ever do to earn his fury?!" The reporter just laughed, before lowering his voice.

"I believe the question is what _haven't_ they done, my dear. Your precious friends have dallied in the spotlight for far too long, and their _insufferable_ ability to escape the press makes it no worse. Let's just say that my boss has…_personal_ business to deal with." My eyes narrowed as I clenched my fists.

"I'm just here to deliver a message, my dear. Don't forget what you promised you would do. It would make his job much easier, and not mention, ease all of your stress. Who knows what how long you've been dealing with this?" With another nasty grin the man left.

"Excuse me, miss? Would you like to order something?" I shook my head at the waitress, and stood up.

So it was the press…? It was someone who lost something when the Naked Brothers Band went famous? I walked back quickly to the auditorium to grab my things.

"Rosalina! You're back! What did he say? Was he nice? He didn't ask about anything personal did he?" I looked at the girls who were waiting expectantly.

"No, he was very nice. He was interested in all of the instruments I played, and like, how I juggled my life and my band and stuff. It was no big deal." Alex's eyes widened.

"Wow. I'm surprised. Normally they're all over you about your relationship with – OW! What was that for Quassim?" He rubbed the spot on his head that Quassim swiped at.

"For being an idiot, Alex." I simply shrugged my shoulders, ignoring the hurt that raced through my heart. I avoided Nat and Christa's gaze as I headed for the door again.

"I'm going back to the hotel. Is there anything else I should know before the gig tonight?" Trina shook her head.

"Just uh-try and get some rest, okay? Actually, that goes for all of us, probably." I nodded simply.

"Alright, by guys." My head ached terribly, and the only thing I really wanted was my bed. But I couldn't ignore the feeling that I was in over my head. I had absolutely no clue what I was going to do.

How was I supposed to save the guys from whatever this guy had planned? They loved being together as a band more than anything. There was no way I was going to let _anyone_ ruin that.


	16. Author's Note! (Don't worry!)

**Alright, alright. I know what you guys are thinking, right?**

"_**How much slower can she possibly be?"**_

"_**Why isn't she getting to the exciting part yet?"**_

"_**Where the heck is Natalina in this story?"**_

"_**What the heck is up with Christa and Rosalina's friend/hate relationship?"**_

**Well…I just wanted to say that I know what I'm doing. And the band **_**is**_** about halfway through their tour, so I can't have TOO much happen before it's supposed to.**

**So, never fear.**

**There's a plan, and a reason to Rosalina's secret meetings with dangerous strangers.**

**The exciting part will come...Just bear with me, at least until they get to Boston, alright?**

**And…never fear about Christa and Rosalina, there is just…some **_**things **_**they need to work out first.**

**And, Natalina. Natalina? Who could ever, **_**ever**_**, give up on Natalina?**

**Every reader and reviewer has been truly amazing, and patient, and understanding. I'm positive there could never be a better audience for this story.**

**So, thank you.**

**So.**

**So.**

**Much.**

**xXxColored SabotagexXx**


	17. Beach Brawls

**Christa POV**

I waited patiently as the other guys began unloading equipment off the bus. I still couldn't believe the concert in Miami went off without a hitch. The dual rehearsal really proved that we could work together…I had flipped through fifteen different magazines, and all of them had great things to say about both bands, our Miami concert, and just the tour in general. The only odd thing was that Rosalina's private interview wasn't in any of the magazines. I had thought of asking the guys who her interviewer was, but I didn't want any drama to happen just because I mentioned her name…and none of the girls knew either. It was weird. Rosalina just brushed it off, saying quickly, "Oh, I'm sure he had more important things to publish."

I didn't believe it.

I picked up my bass and the rest of my bags and slowly got off the bus. The rest of the girls quickly followed, for once being more loud and excited about a new city, since they were actually sober enough to realize it.

I swallowed the air bubbles that stuck in my throat. I made a quick glance to Nat, but he's still acted the same, even since the phone call. I brushed it off at first, but ever since we got on the bus I've worried that he's just hiding his feelings. Which is weird, because Nat Wolff _never_ hides his feelings.

"Here, do you want some help?" I nodded gratefully and Quassim lifted up my bass, falling in step with me.

"So what'd you think about Miami?" I shrugged, blowing a few strands of hair out of my face.

"Honestly? I'm just glad it's over. Mrs. Lief was enough of a nightmare to make me _never_ want to set foot in Miami for the next ten years." I smiled at Quassim's deep chuckle, wondering why I could never seem to make Nat laugh as much.

"About Miami, Christa. I have to talk to you,"

"Here, Quassim let me take that. It is _my_ girlfriend after all." Quassim chuckled uneasily, and I could barely make myself smile. I settled for rolling my eyes, because Nat obviously did _not_ feel like my boyfriend. He took the rest of my bags as well, as I trained my eyes on Quassim's retreating form.

"Wait! Quassim, what were you saying?" Quassim looked between me and Nat before shaking his head rapidly.

"Oh, it was nothing, really. It wasn't even that important. I'll um, see you later Christa!" With that, he hurriedly left us behind, practically sprinting to catch up with David. I frowned.

"I didn't mean to make him run off like that." Nat frowned. "I wonder if he's okay." I simply shrugged.

"It's Quassim. I'm sure he's fine." Nat nodded more assuredly.

"Yeah, I bet you're right." He playfully shoved my shoulder, laughing.

"You're pretty smart, you know that?" I narrowed my eyes, playfully.

"Who are you kidding? I'm _the_ smartest, you know that?" He smiled, laughing quietly as we made our way through the hotel hallways.

* * *

"Guys, I'm bored!"

"Me too!"

"It's so hot!"

"Trina!"

"Cooper!"

Our voices bounced off the walls, and I laughed as Trina and Cooper tried to quiet everyone. We were all holed up in Trina's room, since she got the biggest suite. The air conditioner was blasting and it still didn't seem to be enough.

"I know! Why don't we go to the beach?" Alex rushed on before Cooper could get a word out.

"We'll wear disguises and everything, and there's this private beach that Jesse's family owns because they practically live down here in the summer, so we can go there and no one will bother us!"

"Yeah, why don't we go to the beach? It's way too hot to stay in a hotel room Trina." Maya whined from her position on the bed.

"I mean, it's so hot I think my nail polish is melting off of my nails." Lisa added airily. "We should go!" Before either manager could say a word, Alex made a grab for Cooper's phone, to call our bus driver.

"Yo, Jordan? Yeah, it's Alex. Coop says we can go to this beach that Jesse's family owns," Alex jumped from bed to bed to avoid Cooper's wild arms trying to take back his phone, "and he wants to know if you can drive us there? Oh, you can? That's awesome! Thanks Jordy!" Alex snapped the phone shut and collapsed onto the bed. He smiled dreamily. "She loves me." Nat laughed.

"I thought you loved Jesse?"

"Oh, I do. But Jordy's like, super cool, and she talks to me about more exciting stuff than Jesse does."

"What about Juanita." Alex simply waved his hand in the air.

"You guys can't fight the winding river of love. It goes where it must. The heart wants what the heart wants. Love is merely," Thomas cut Alex off.

"Dude, you are so not going into one of those mon log things again."

"It's a _monologue_, Thomas."

"Yeah, well, who asked you, Rosalina?"

"You did in middle school when Mrs. Farthing made you study Shakespeare." She retorted just as quickly. Thomas just rolled his eyes, until Lisa threw a stress ball at him, mouthing the words "Be nice," so Rosalina couldn't see.

"Guys, I hate to break this up, but," Our protests rose in the air angrily.

"No, Cooper, come on! This tour is supposed to be fun!"

"And Alex says it's Jesse's family's _private_ beach!"

"GUYS! I was just saying, it wouldn't be nice to keep Jordan waiting. We should all go change into swimsuits and stuff. Our protests were quickly turned into cheers as we raced down the hall to change.

* * *

**Rosalina POV**

We all practically ran off the bus. Jesse's beach was beautiful. It had the best view of the water, too. I pulled Cati into the water with me, laughing at her screech of surprise. I was doubled over laughing when a giant wave hit me, signaling Lianna and Maya's entrance into the water. A giant splash fight ensued. Aiming at Cati, I sent my biggest wave yet flying at her face, but she ducked under the water so it hit Alex instead. I stilled quickly, as did all the other girls, waiting for his reaction.

"Rosalina?" I gulped, knowing that you should never underestimate Alex even if he's several years younger than you.

"Yes?"

"YOU'RE SO DEAD!" He sent another wave at me, which made me tumble into the water again. I resurfaced, laughing.

"We'll see about that! Cati, now!" We both grabbed Alex's arms and threw him into the water. When he resurfaced, he turned in mock anger towards his band mates on the shore.

"What kind of friends are you? Letting these girls," he threw his arms out as us, "drown the most important member in your band, the drummer, Alex Wolff?!" He laughed at the shocked expressions on their faces.

"What's the matter, baby? Scared of a little water?" Lisa splashed Thomas, who was still on the shore with David.

"Oh no, you didn't!" Thomas jumped in the water, dunking Lisa under. As she came up spluttering for air, he simply winked.

"You can't touch this!" He flipped the peace sign with both hands.

"That's what _you think!_" Lisa tackled Thomas into the water again, knocking Lianna and Maya over. Like the domino effect, they took David and Nat down with them, and successfully dragged the guys into the splash fight.

We spent hours in the water, swimming, splashing, and diving, when a couple of guys walked onto the beach.

"Whoa. Do you _see_ them?" Maya asked in a hushed whisper. The girls nodded enthusiastically.

"They're sooo hot!" I could tell my band was watching them casually, noticing how Cooper was talking with them, probably explaining what we were doing here.

Everyone swam closer as Cooper approached the water.

"It's okay, everyone. They're Jesse's cousins, visiting from California. They just wanted to swim and hang out for a bit. Some of their friends our coming, but they said that they'll keep quiet about our location." Having been given the okay, the boys rushed back into the water. I could tell as Maya and Lianna moved closer towards the shallows that they were hoping to talk to them. Leaving Lisa with Thomas, Cati and I stepped onto the shore to take a break.

As I was rolling out my towel, I felt Cati nudge my arm.

"Don't look now, but _someone_ thinks you're pretty cute." She smiled slyly, looking at me from her sunglasses. I practically slammed my sunglasses onto my face and muttered, frowning,

"You don't know that." Cati merely laughed, flipping through the latest issue of Teen Vogue.

"Girl, you are so blind." Maya and Lianna joined us on the beach, laying their towels down so all of our heads were in a circle. I rolled my eyes, and simply went back to my book. I could definitely feel one guy's eyes on me, but I could feel another pair too.

I shifted my sunglasses to get a good look at the stranger.

"Ehh, he's alright." Lianna shrieked, before being shushed by Maya.

"You, are _such_ a liar." I shook my head vehemently.

"No I'm not!" The girls pointedly rolled their eyes at me. I always hated it when they ganged up on me like this.

"You don't think you're into him?" I shook my head.

"Nope."

"Well, how about we test that theory? Go talk to him." I looked at Cati quizzically.

"What?"

"Rosalina. Go." Maya stuffed my bookmark into the pages and snapped the book shut. "Talk to him."

"Now." Lianna added lazily. "Or else, we're going to tell your old band that you started playing with us before you even quit their band."

"That's evil!" I glared at Lianna. "You wouldn't, that's so not true!" She smirked, laughing.

"Try me." I casually glanced over, noticing how the really tan guy waved enthusiastically when he noticed my eye contact. I waved timidly, the blush already spreading over my cheeks.

"Rosalina. We _dare_ you. Come on! Just a little flirty conversation." I tried to not notice when really-tan-guy started walking over here, but I knew that if he got to our spot the girls would never let him leave.

I sighed unhappily.

"Fine." As I stood up, I heard their squeals and laughter. I lightly kicked Lianna on my way by, and she elbowed my knee. I could not believe she got me to do this.

"Umm, hi." The boy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm Dan." I giggled at the way he could barely make eye contact with me. I cocked my hip to one side and let my one hand rest there.

"I'm Rosalina." He smiled.

"You come here often?" I looked at him curiously.

"No, this is my first time. I actually live in New Yor-Tennessee. I live in Tennessee." He nodded, not taking noticing of my mental slip up.

"Well, Tennessee must be a lucky state to have such a pretty girl like you living there." I could feel his body move closer, and I was only faintly aware of how he was reaching for my hand. I mentally rolled my eyes at his cliché compliment.

"Yeah, well it's too bad I don't live in California." His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I mean, if they make guys like you on the west coast, maybe I should move there." He laughed.

"Babe, I'm a one of a kind original." He smiled. His eyes were a deep brown color, and his tan body almost reminded me of Taylor Lautner. Holy shit, that boy is attractive. We talked and laughed more, and I followed him to his side of the beach so he could introduce me to his friends.

They were all pretty cool, and funny. Not to mention almost all of them were insanely cute. I giggled, feeling multiple eyes on my back. Lianna and Maya were walking up to us, and that's when I knew it.

They only wanted me to talk to Dan because they wanted to talk to his friends. Leave it to them make a plan involving me, like always. I pulled my hair up in a bun.

"Hey girl." Lianna leaned against my shoulder, her eyes twinkling. "Who's your new friends?"

* * *

**Christa POV**

"So, you wanted to talk to me about something?" I was watching everyone in the water, laughing at all of their antics. I dug my toes into the sand, and lay down on my towel. Quassim's shadow towered over me, so I patted the sand next to me. Without another word he plopped down next to me.

"Yeah, um." Quassim wouldn't make eye contact with me.

"Yo, Q! You coming in or what?" Thomas yelled from the water as he threw Lisa into the water again.

"Maybe later Thomas!" I waved Nat off as he was about to come over and sit down. I mouthed, "Tell you later," because I knew whatever Quassim was going to say, he didn't want to say it front of Nat.

"Do you want to walk or something Christa?" Quassim stood up and held his hand out to me. I sat up, chewing my bottom lip. I heard a shriek coming from the girls in the water and I saw Nat splash Rosalina. I saw the way he looked at her when she laughed, and I pretended not to notice the guilty look he tossed my when he realized what he was doing.

"Sure." We walked a good length of the beach, far out of ear shot, even though form our position we could see a few guys run onto the beach. I watched them talk to Cooper, and I watched as the Star Rockers made their way out of the water to sit together on towels.

"So, uh, how was the dinner thing?" My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"It was okay…"

"And the party after?" I narrowed my eyes, finally forcing Quassim to look at me.

"It was fun. Why? Is the band worried that I'm spiraling wildly out of control or something? Last time I checked, I'm _not_ the girl who gets drunk every night – That's Cati and Lisa." Quassim shook his head quickly, backtracking.

"And even if I _did_ drink a little? What's the big problem? Its high school, it happens. We're freaking famous. Just because Nat – I mean just because you guys don't approve, doesn't mean I can't have – It was one freaking beer, for God's sake, maybe two – I don't even know why you care – It's not like Nat does – Thomas that filthy hypocrite, I _know_ Lisa's gotten him to take a few sips – Whatever that's not the point – and just because _Nat_ wouldn't approve – You don't even have proof – Why do you even care – I mean,"

"CHRISTA!" Quassim waved his arms in the air as I kicked the sand angrily.

"What?"

"I got your phone call. It was meant for Nat but you must've dialed the wrong number…" My body went numb. I wanted to be angry at Quassim for not telling me sooner, and I wanted to yell at him for letting me rant, instead of just telling me that he heard all of those _stupid truths_. Stop it, I mentally scolded myself. But I couldn't feel anything except relief.

Nat doesn't know. The words ran over and over in my mind. He never got the call. He doesn't know. I sighed, closing my eyes.

"Uh, Christa? I'm really sorry I didn't say anything before, it's just that Nat was always with you and I figured I shouldn't say – I mean, I _didn't_ say anything because it sounded like you were, you know, a little drunk, and I'm just, really sorry." Quassim scratched the back of his head nervously.

I could only nod; I was still in shock that my phone call had never reached Nat.

"I won't tell him or anything, you know." I couldn't help but smile as I flung my arms around Quassim.

"Thank you." I breathed into his should. "Thank you." He shifted uncomfortably as he hugged me, patting me on the back.

"I think you should, uh, talk to Nat though, don't you think?" I let go reluctantly, trying to ignore the warm sensation I got from hugging Quassim.

"I guess. But, after the tour. There's already been so much drama and I don't think any of us can handle more." Quassim nodded.

"Yeah, you have a point. But, um, you know you can come and talk to me and stuff? Like as friends? Rosalina and I talked to each other a lot about this kind of stuff."

"You mean about Nat?" He laughed.

"I guess. You can say that."

"You guys seemed so close. What happened?

"Well, when she left, everyone hated her so much, and I just didn't want to make waves. I still wanted to be her friend, but at the time I didn't really want Thomas and David to get angry at me." We watched the guys swim through the water, and I noticed Rosalina and the girls talking to Jesse's cousins.

"You know the tour is a perfect time to mend friendships, right? I think our bands are getting along much better now." I added absentmindedly, thinking of Thomas and Lisa.

"Yeah, you have a point. Look, I'll talk to Rosalina, if you talk to Nat." I gulped, laughing uneasily.

"Deal. I bet after this tour everyone is going to really get along."

"WHAT THE HELL?" Our heads whipped around to find Nat stalking angrily towards Rosalina and one of the strangers.

* * *

**Nat POV**

I had waded back to shore to find Christa when something else caught my eye. That stupid tan cousin of Jesse's was so trying to make a move on Rosalina! I narrowed my eyes watching for a moment as he went to grab her hand. I saw Rosalina laugh, and when he hugged her, all of my pent up rage exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL?" I heard Alex splashing behind me as he raced towards us, but I had already pushed the guy away from Rosalina.

"Whoa, dude, chill out." I felt Maya glare at me and I could hear Rosalina, I could feel her pulling at my wrist. Everything was a red haze. I couldn't take it anymore. Every bad thought about every guy Rosalina had been with was released, and every belittling word they said seemed to egg me on.

"Seriously, Nat come on."

"NO!" I pointed furiously at the stranger. "YOU! What right do have to even _touch _her? It's not like she's yours or anything! You just need to stay away from Rosalina!"

"I'm not scared of a kid who plays piano, _Nat Wolff_. And unless I'm mistaken, you're just the world's biggest fucking hypocrite. Where's your other bassist?" I was seething, and without even thinking, I swung my fist in the air.

The contact with his sneering face was satisfying, I was confident I had given him a fat lip.

"Whoa! Bro, calm down! DAVID! THOMAS! QUASSIM!" Alex had grabbed me around the waist trying to tug me off of the beach.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" I yelled furiously, trying to fight against David and Thomas who were dragging me back toward the bus. In the distance, I could see Quassim rushing forward, and Christa hurrying behind him. Cooper and Trina were apologizing profusely, trying to get ice for the guy's fat lip – I smiled.

"Look. Alex, go tell Jordan we're leaving." Cooper took one look at Rosalina's furious glare, and Cati's lethal stance, before rethinking.

"Actually, go tell Jordan that the guys are leaving for an immediate Naked Brother's Band meeting. She can come back here to the beach after, because I'm pretty sure the Star Rockers want to stay for a while longer."

I was forced onto the bus and I could hear Christa stomping behind me. She flung the curtains closed behind her as she retreated into the "girl space" but I couldn't even bring myself to care.

The only thing I could think of was Rosalina's laughter at the beach.


	18. Interesting Interventions

**Interlude: In which Alex hosts an intervention and Christa is comforted by a friend.**

* * *

**Alex POV**

The ride back to the hotel was nothing but stony silence, except for Cooper, of course. I half listened to his phone conversation with Trina; I could practically feel his relief as she explained that the guy wasn't pressing charges for assault or anything crazy.

Cooper finally hung up the phone when the bus pulled to a stop, and I could already tell that Nat was going to try and make a speedy getaway.

"Oh, no you don't." I blocked the exit.

"Alex Cooper just said we were having a band meeting to get away from them,"

"Nat. This isn't going to be a band meeting. This is going to be an intervention." I heard his protests as Thomas and David forcibly escorted him from the bus and into Cooper's hotel room.

"Guys cut it out!" Nat shoved Thomas and David onto the bed, and tried to open the door. Cooper pushed him back, and sat in front of it.

"Nat, as your manager, producer, and most importantly your friend, I think this is for the best."

"In other words: Dude. You seriously need to cut it out." Thomas crossed his arms over his chest.

"What are you talking about?" David threw his hands up in the air.

"You punched a guy, Nat! You punched a complete stranger! Not to mention Jesse's cousin, which definitely means Jesse will be angry and will attempt to use karate on you…"

"Nat, we're not here to talk about your violent behavior." I could hear Cooper cough pointedly. "I mean, we're definitely bringing it up, but this intervention is going to address the main problem."

"There is no,"

"Nat we all know you're still in love with Rosalina." We watched his face turn from pink, to red, to pink and then pale. The color switching kept happening as he stuttered.

"Don't even try to deny it, man. You still love her." Nat began to protest, but David put his hand over his mouth.

"You're going to have to listen, so we suggest you just shut up and chill out for a moment, my friend." David cracked a smile before Thomas punched him in the shoulder.

"We're supposed to act like this is serious dude. Like that interrogation show." I rolled my eyes before jumping onto the bed.

"Nat. You love Rosalina. You are so in love with her that it kind of hurts to be around you when you're near her, because we can all feel your pent-up anger and pain about this situation." He opened his mouth again but I held up my hand.

"Do you deny this?" Nat went still for a moment, before collapsing into a chair and shaking his head miserably.

"That is very astute of you brother." At Thomas' look I simply shrugged. "I'm working on my vocabulary to impress Jesse and Jordan," I whispered to him. Turning back to Nat, I made myself grow serious again.

"That was part one. Admitting you are still in love. David? Commence with part two." He shook his hair out of his face before sitting in front of Nat.

"Are you aware you have a girlfriend?" Nat just stared disbelievingly at David. Thomas whacked him on the arm, signaling that he needed to answer. Nat just nodded.

"Nat, who is your girlfriend?"

"…Christa." David nodded, satisfied.

"Good. Nat, you understand that it is Christa, _not_ Rosalina, who is your girlfriend?"

"Yes, but,"

"Just answer the questions, Nat. You care for Christa, correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you like her?"

"Yes, of course,"

"Do you LOVE her?" The hesitation was all David needed.

"Thought so."

"Nat, who do you love?"

"Rosalina." He said without thinking. He paled when he realized what he said.

"Nat, why are you still with Christa?" I watched from the bed as my brother shrugged miserably.

"Do you want to be with Rosalina?" Nat shrugged his shoulders again.

"Do you want to be with Christa?" Nat paused for a moment, before shaking his head slowly.

"Thank you David. You've been promoted to senior interrogator. I threw him a fake mustache and the tension lowered slightly when David exclaimed in happiness, sticking the new mustache to his face.

"Thomas, please continue."

"Dude. Look at me. This is like, bro to bro connection right here. That's what these things are for, right? Well our band's bro to bro connection is sensing that something is seriously wrong with you. But we can't help, because it isn't about us and you. It's about Christa and Rosalina and you. Girls make the bro to bro connection all fuzzy, Nat." David and I stifled a laugh at Thomas' serious face, and at Nat's slightly confused one.

"Nat, David already made you understand some facts. You remember all of them right? You know who you like and who you love and who you want to be with?"

"Good." Thomas continued without waiting for a nod. "Now, I'm a girl expert. I know things. Like, I know that Christa knows how you really feel. That's right Nat; your _girlfriend_ knows you have feelings for another, more specifically, Rosalina. Don't ask how she knows, because it's just painfully obvious for everyone. Even the Star Rockers."

"What?!"

"Well, maybe not to Rosalina, because she's wrapped up in her own feelings for you we're sure. But that's why Cati and Lisa keep trying to set her up with random guys, and why Lianna, Maya, and Trina never let you or her within ten feet of each other."

"They don't want to see Rosalina get hurt again." Nat let out a sort of strangled yelp.

"And because we are your loyal band mates practically brothers, we don't want to see you drowning in this pit of self-pity, anger, and other negative things any longer.

"Hence the intervention."

"Now, I have some super smart intel: Rosalina is still into you." We watched Nat's eyes widen considerably. Thomas nodded.

"Christa, if my chick-senses are correct, is also very frustrated with your relationship. But she's probably waiting for you to make the first move in making up." Thomas looked into Nat's eyes.

"Bro, dude, _Nat_. Do you know what you need to do?"

The silence was intense.

"I need to talk to them."

"Who?"

"Rosalina and Christa?"

"In which order?"

"Uh. Christa. Then Rosalina." Thomas nodded in satisfaction.

"My work here is done." He grabbed the fake mustaches from me and stuck two on his face.

"I'm promoting myself to senior senior interrogator."

"That's not a thing."

"Shut up, senior interrogator. It is a thing and it means I have more authority than you. Hence the two mustaches." I finally jumped off the bed.

"Nat, buddy. We care about you, you know? We want to make sure you're happy."

"I know, thanks Alex."

"No problem. For the record, we've always been team Natalina. It's just that pining for Rosalina while dating Christa and punching random guys in the face is not how team Natalina rolls. We like class. And romance. The whole shebang." Nat cracked a hesitant smile.

"You guys are right. Thanks, I needed this."

"We knew that, why do you think Cooper cut our beach day short?" We slowly filed out of the room, and I watched as my brother wandered off to clear his head. I smiled, satisfied. Things were gonna be okay.

* * *

**Christa POV**

That fucking – I just – UGH I can't even believe him! I collapsed onto my bed, punching my pillow furiously. The day at the beach had become a single blur, and everything seemed flipped around. My tears soaked the sheets. I didn't even feel like I knew who Nat was anymore. I sniffled.

That wasn't true. But having to accept the fact that he would always love Rosalina more was something that hurt more than anything else. I spent weeks and weeks, _days_ even, devoted to getting Nat's mind off of Rosalina – I spent most of my time in this band trying to help Nat, trying to get Nat back to normal, trying to _love_ Nat despite the fact that he always made it clear who he loved.

"Christa?" I sighed before getting up to let Quassim in. "Are you alright?"

"Not really. Actually, not at all. I feel like I'm never getting anywhere with Nat. He doesn't even remotely act like he's interested in me. I don't get it. One minute we're fine and the next I feel like I'm trying to tie him down so he doesn't go running back to Rosalina and I just want Nat to know that I really care about him too except for the fact that he's supposed to be my boyfriend and I still want to be his girlfriend but now I'm just wondering if this whole thing is really worth it…" I felt Quassim hug me, and I let him lead back onto the bed where we both just sat for a few moments.

"You can keep talking, you know. I don't mind listening." I shook my head.

"I feel like I've ranted at you enough for one day. I'm sorry I keep getting you involved in this mess."

"You know, Christa. Sometimes relationships are much more trouble than they're worth. I mean, I know loads of people can work things out really well or are just really good at talking things out but it doesn't seem like you and Nat are those kinds of people."

"Well, at least I can talk to you about stuff. That helps." I smiled when he laughed.

"How's Little Grace?" Quassim stopped laughing for a moment.

"She's alright, I think. We're so far away that we decided we shouldn't be together. Neither of us are really good at distance relationships."

"Was it hard?"

"Breaking up with her? Sort of, but Rosalina helped me work it out. I mean it hurt a lot, because I really loved her – And she was so beautiful – but because we both realized that we couldn't handle a relationship we just broke it off. We're still friends, of course. It made it easy that it was on both of our minds."

"There weren't any hard feelings?"

"There were a lot of tears, and even some screaming, but eventually we settled down. Once we talked everything out, we both understood it better. And, well… The distance helped. It's hard to get over someone when they're only ten feet away from you on a daily basis. But Little Grace and me were states and states away. I think she has a boyfriend now." I nodded.

"That makes a lot of sense. That's probably why Rosalina and Nat still like each other." Quassim sat straight up in the air.

"Rosalina still likes Nat?" I nodded miserably.

"That's why she always tries to keep her distance from our band. She doesn't want you guys figuring it out, and I think she's trying to give me and Nat some space. She always looks like she wants to say something to be, but she also looks so conflicted all the time. Part of me just wants to be angry, but it's not like she's hanging all over Nat. It's not really her fault that…" I trailed off, hiccupping as a couple tears found their way down my face."

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't cry Christa. Quassim passed me the tissue box as I smiled gratefully."

"I can talk to Nat for you if you want?"

"No. I definitely have to talk to him though. I just hope that it goes well."

"He can be a pretty understanding guy," I stared at Quassim blankly.

"When it doesn't concern Rosalina's guy friends or boyfriends." I shrugged.

"I just feel so helpless. There's nothing I can do I don't think, but I hate being a quitter."

"Christa, it's not quitting if the relationship makes you feel like crap all the time. You're an amazing girl and you deserve someone who is always going to put you first, just like," Quassim gulped, unsure of how to proceed.

"Just like Nat and Rosalina, I know. I feel like I was never meant to work with Nat, you know? I don't even have to look at those two to understand that they're always going to love each other. And that's what really sucks." Quassim laughed.

"I don't think I've ever met someone as understanding about their boyfriend's feelings for another girl as you, Christa." I raised my eyebrow.

"Not even Rosalina?"

"Are you joking? Rosalina got just as jealous about Nat's girl fans and stuff, and just as protective over their relationship as he is."

"But this whole tour,"

"Like you said. She still loves him, but she's also conflicted and whether the guys believe it or not, Rosalina is _not_ someone who intentionally breaks people up. She hates messing with relationships like that. She can't help but get crazy jealous every time she sees you guys together. So she leaves the room before she lets any of her emotions get the best of her." I nodded, sighing

"I think if Nat was stuck between you guys, you'd be best friends." I nodded wearily.

"Trust me that thought already passed through my mind. Several times." I looked at the door.

"I should go talk to him." Quassim nodded.

"That sounds like the best idea – It already sounds like you know what you're going to talk to him about." I nodded, hugging Quassim tightly.

"Thanks for everything today – You're a really great guy, you know that?" Quassim laughed before opening the door.

"And you're a really great girl."


End file.
